Through the Years, Season 9: The World Tournament
by Evanibble
Summary: A world crisis; a world tournament. Niko, Charlotte, and their friends find their hands full with battle after battle in a struggle to save the planet from inevitable destruction. Then, Niko faces his greatest challenge yet in an attempt to finally achieve his dream. This story is the culmination of his adventures, and the people and Pokemon that he met along the way. Enjoy!
1. The darkening sky

**Episode 1: The darkening sky**

"Sn-nowpoint City i-is…c-cold…" Charlotte said as she held herself, trying to warm herself up in the midst of Sinnoh's northernmost city. It was her first time stepping into the region. She had heard several stories from Niko's adventures in the region. It took him a while to talk about them, she noticed, since his time in the region ended on a poor note. However, once he got started, he wouldn't stop, and Charlotte found it wonderful to hear.

"Yeah, you get used to it after a while," Niko mentioned. He enjoyed Snowpoint City. Being from Pallet Town, he didn't see much snow, so it was certainly welcomed when he and his friends first travelled there three years prior. Jake, clearly, felt the same way as he picked up snow with his gloved hands and threw it at his brother. After recovering from the cold snow slamming against his cheek, Niko quietly remembered his experiences in Snowpoint City—winning in the gym battle against Candice, and Lauren winning the Pokémon Contest just afterwards.

He also remembered what happened immediately following their departure of Snowpoint City, and the brief crisis atop Mt. Coronet. However, it was a lesser thought that went back to the back of his mind where it belonged.

Now, he was here for Jake. That day, he would take on Candice for his seventh gym badge. After the Lanakila Conference, Niko and Charlotte decided to travel with Jake on the remainder of his journey in Sinnoh, which involved watching him earn his final two badges. This would then qualify him for the Lily of the Valley Conference in the spring, which Niko and Charlotte would also attend, as Jake did for Niko years earlier.

"You really do," Jake said as they got off of the boat. During the journey—nearly a week, at that—Niko and Jake talked about his journey in Sinnoh, as well as his strategy against Candice. During one of their stops near Johto, the two had a brief practice battle, where Niko used his Glalie, Vaporeon, and Feraligatr to help Jake practice against ice types and Pokémon with ice type moves. He did well, and Niko felt confident in his brother's abilities to battle.

"How're you feeling, Jake?" Niko asked his brother, who was now taller than him and decked out in snow clothes and an orange and black beanie.

"Not too bad. The training and practice battle helped. I think Empoleon will do well in particular."

"Yeah, that flash cannon of his is pretty powerful," Niko added, remembering how his Glalie fell relatively quickly to consecutive rounds of the steel type move. "I think you're going to do great. Do you think she's at the gym today?"

"No idea, it's my first time here," Jake added. "My team is ready to go now, actually. So, if you two want to head to the gym we can."

"This is your journey, buddy," Niko said with a quick laugh. "You're running the show now."

Jake, surprised to hear this, nodded. For the first time in five years, the roles were now reversed—Niko was following him on _his_ journey, and he was the star. It took him a moment to realize it and, when he did, it made him feel good. It made him feel more mature. After looking up to his brother for so long, it now seemed like Niko was looking up to Jake—in more ways than one.

It didn't take long to get to the Snowpoint City gym—Niko knew the route, and it was in the center of the city anyway. Once they entered, Niko felt the same cold gush of air that he had felt years ago and, looking out onto the field beyond, saw a familiar-looking school teacher with braided black hair training with a massive yeti-like Pokémon. Moments later, when the sliding doors behind Niko, Charlotte, and Jake slammed shut, the woman turned to face them.

"Oh? A new challenger?" Candice asked, placing her hands on her hips—where her cyan sweater met her skirt—and smirked. "Are all of you here for my badge?"

Niko was about to answer when Jake stepped forward and shook his head. "No, I am. I'm Jake from Pallet Town, and I'd like to request a battle."

Candice nodded. "Pallet Town? I get an unusual number of challengers from Kanto. Many of them have gone on to do some incredible things…" she said, as if lost in thought. "All right! Let's go! A three-on-three battle it is!"

The gym leader then returned the yeti-Pokémon and walked away for some time, allowing Niko and Charlotte time to find seats in the stands nearby. Meanwhile, Niko quietly observed Jake standing there, pokéball in hand, waiting for the battle to begin. He recognized the clear lack of expression etched on his younger brother's face. He had an idea of what was going on in his head—his strategy, his practice battles. It made him feel closer to Jake in a way he hadn't before. They had tacitly created a new, unique connection.

Candice then re-appeared, judge by her side. The judge—named Mack—stood on the side of the field in front of Niko and Charlotte's seats and dictated the rules of the battle. And, as usual, the fighting began moments later.

"Sneasel, I choose you!" Candice commanded, summoning the Sharp Claws Pokémon.

Jake threw his pokéball onto the field as well, summoning a Lucario. "Aura sphere!" he commanded. The Aura Pokémon lowered its paws to the side, generating a small swirling ball of energy before firing it at Sneasel, who retaliated with aerial ace, shattering the aura sphere and causing it to prematurely explode.

"Faint attack!" Candice shouted.

"Wait for it…" Jake said calmly. Lucario then closed its eyes and stabilized itself on the ground, getting into a fighting stance. Suddenly, Lucario swung its left paw out, jabbing a surprised Sneasel in the chest with the metal spike on the back of its paw. "Now, force palm!"

"Sneasel, aerial ace!" Candice commanded. However, it was too slow—Lucario grabbed the Sharp Claws Pokémon with some sort of spiritual energy and thrust it backwards, hurtling towards a wall and subsequently crashing into it. Sneasel crashed onto the ground before slowly getting onto its feet and wobbling back and forth. "Aerial ace!"

"Aura sphere!" Jake shouted. Lucario swiftly generated another energy ball and fired it at Sneasel, throwing it backwards into the wall and ending the round.

"Sneasel is unable to battle, Lucario is the winner!" Mack declared. "Leader Candice will now send out her second Pokémon!"

"Piloswine, you're up!" Candice shouted, summoning a large hairy, pig-like Pokémon. "Use earthquake!"

"Force palm into the air!" Jake commanded. Lucario thrust its paws downward and rocketed itself off the ground before flipping through the air and firing a flash cannon from high above, striking Piloswine on the top of its head. "Now, aura sphere!"

Lucario spun as it descended, generating a third blue sphere before firing it at close range onto Piloswine. The resulting explosion sent the Swine Pokémon hurtling backwards just as Lucario flew into the air and crashed on its back. Niko realized that Jake and Lucario hadn't yet mastered that sort of technique, which was a good thing—there was always something new to learn.

"He's n-not b-bad," Charlotte commented, looking back up at her boyfriend, still colder than she would have preferred to be.

Niko nodded. "He really is," he replied, eyes wide with surprise. His own battle with Candice had not nearly gone this well, and he had been travelling as long as Jake was by this point. _Is he a better trainer than I am?_ Niko thought to himself. While this would be something worth being proud of, Niko somehow felt a hint of envy about his brother's natural battling abilities.

"Well done," Candice said as she returned her defeated Piloswine. "Two of three defeated, I'm impressed. Rarely do I get challengers that give me that sort of trouble. But this last one won't be as easy. Abomasnow, I choose you!" she shouted, sending out the yeti-like Pokémon that Niko and Charlotte were familiar with. Niko in particular remembered battling one of Candice's Abomasnow, and wondered if this was the same one. "Focus blast!"

"Aura sphere!" Jake shouted. Lucario slowly got back up and began to generate an aura sphere before getting hit by the focus blast, knocking it off balance and onto the ground. "Get up, Lucario! Use force palm!"

"Avalanche!" Candice commanded. Abomasnow roared out, lifting its hands high into the air and causing snow to crash down across the field over its opponent. Lucario, now buried under the snow, didn't come back out until Mack declared the round over.

"Return," Jake said, "you did incredible, Lucario. I'm proud of you. Empoleon, I choose you!" he shouted, summoning the Emperor Pokémon onto the field. "Use flash cannon!"

"Block it with wood hammer!" Candice commanded. Abomasnow's arm began to glow a bright green before it slammed it into the gray beam of light, causing it to spray in other directions and missing Abomasnow entirely. "Now, follow up with focus blast!"

"Drill peck!" Jake shouted. It was time to get in closer. He realized that's how he would defeat this creature. Empoleon's beak elongated and started to glow a bright white color before it shot forward at a blinding speed, striking the sphere of condensed energy and ripping through it before striking Abomasnow directly.

"Wood hammer!" Candice shouted. Swiftly, Abomasnow backed away enough to still slam its thorned fist into Empoleon's side, bringing the steel type to its knees. "Now, use focus blast!"

"Flash cannon!" Jake roared. Empoleon opened its mouth and fired a bright flash of light, colliding with the focus blast.

Niko then felt the ground under him shake, albeit briefly. _It's just the battle, probably_ , he thought to himself. This wasn't unusual, after all.

But then it happened again, after Empoleon and Abomasnow were gathering themselves from the resulting explosion of their respective attacks. Niko turned to Charlotte and noticed an equally confused expression staring back at him.

Then again.

"Mack, can you go check it out?" Candice asked her judge, "We'll temporarily suspend the match, if you don't mind," she asked Jake, who simply nodded.

Mack ran out of the gym at a brisk pace, leaving Niko, his friends, and Candice standing there in silence and confusion.

Then again.

"What could possibly be happening?" Charlotte asked. The ground shook once more, and then stopped, leaving the entire gym in dead silence.

They waited, and nothing else happened for several more minutes.

"Mack?" Candice asked as the lights then went out in the gym. "Uh…Mack?"

Niko and Charlotte looked at one another. He was confused. What could possibly be going wrong _now_? Didn't he and his friends solve the problems in Sinnoh, and only years after others like him had, too? Hunter J, Team Galactic…they were gone. Everything was fine in the world, or it should have been. At least, it should have been in Sinnoh.

They jointly stood up and prepared to leave the gym with Candice. Jake sent out his Emboar to provide a light as they made their way out of the gym and into Snowpoint City. Forcing their way through the double doors, they looked up and saw a darkening sky above them. A mixture of smoke and heavy clouds blocked out the late-afternoon sun above Sinnoh.

Niko first looked upwards and southwards towards Mt. Coronet—as he had done last time. "Go figure," he muttered, pointing to the top of the mountain. Charlotte, Jake, and Candice all looked to where his finger was pointing.

"Again?" Candice and Charlotte said at the same time, but for different reasons. Candice remembered the last time—times—that Sinnoh had undergone a crisis. Charlotte had only heard of it from Niko.

 _What the hell is happening here_? Niko thought to himself. It was almost identical to the last time he and his friends had experienced something like this. _Is Team Galactic up to this? I thought they were gone. Hunter J definitely is gone, so she can't be behind this. Who could it be?_ "Again…" Niko said softly before turning to Jake. "Guess you're getting the real Sinnoh experience, buddy."

"Why is that?" Jake asked, looking down at his brother, who simply smirked.

"Because we're going to check it out," Niko said, pokéball in hand.

* * *

 **Author's Note: At long last, the final season! It's been a while since i've gotten the chance to write, and now that I do I plan to take full advantage of it so we can finish this story as it was meant to finish! Hope you all have enjoyed this first episode-this season is going to be very different from past ones, and so i'm interested to hear everyone's feedback on it!**

 **Enjoy!**


	2. The Alpha Pokemon

**Episode 2: The Alpha Pokemon**

"Wait, wh-what?" Charlotte asked, still shivering. Niko turned to her, pulled her into him, and nodded. She felt warmer, and calmer, but still confused. "We're going up there?"

"I've been there before, it'll be fine," Niko said with confidence. He then threw out a pokéball containing Drampa, and another with Braviary. "Guys, we're going up there," he said, pointing to the swirling dark mass originating from the peak of Mt. Coronet. Both winged Pokémon nodded, albeit confused at first.

"Wait, wait!" Candice said, shaking her arms. "Why're you doing _that_? It could be dangerous!"

Niko tilted his head and smiled. "Because I've done it before, of course."

Candice looked at him for a moment, clearly trying to piece everything together. She then looked at Niko with wide eyes and mouthed a silent "oh" before smiling. "Riiight! I remember you! You went there last time with Cynthia! But you were with other people, though…"

"Yeah, we're all over the place. Name's Niko, this is my girlfriend Charlotte, and Jake is my brother," Niko explained.

"Guess battling runs in the family," Candice said, winking to Jake. "Anyway, I need to get in touch with Cynthia. I'm sure she's busy as hell right now, but she should know that she has help on the way."

Niko watched Candice run off into her gym just as the lights went back on, presumably due to a backup generator or something of that sort. He turned back to Jake and Charlotte and smiled. "You two ready for an adventure?"

Jake nodded, almost eagerly. Charlotte, who was still cuddled up to Niko, nodded slowly and less certainly. However, after climbing aboard Drampa with her boyfriend, she started to feel more comfortable. It had been a while since she and Niko had attempted to save the world—which this now seemed to be a case of. The last time, to her knowledge, was when they stopped Ghetsis and Team Plasma in the Unova region. That was nearly two years ago, but it felt like forever. Her life had changed so much since, just as Niko's had. He was the runner-up to a regional champion, and she was the runner-up to a Pokémon League. Back then, she was just considering becoming a trainer, and Niko was just re-considering his choice to become one. Life was so much different for them, and in the best ways possible.

Niko guided Drampa and Braviary—with Jake on his back—over Snowpoint City and towards Celestic Town. They flew low and at a slow pace so as to not let the cold wind bother their eyes too much, since they lacked a pair of goggles for eye protection. Despite their slow speed, the two Pokémon made their way to Celestic Town in under half an hour, landing only for a brief break.

Looking up at the mountain range in front of him, Niko squinted his eyes as if trying to see something more clearly. He remembered looking in that same direction to see something, anything, that might be wrong. But nothing this time besides a faint shimmer.

"So, we're climbing that?" Jake asked.

"Yup. We're going to the top."

"How long will that take?" Charlotte asked.

Niko tried to remember. "A couple hours, at least. But if we fly…"

"We're gonna need goggles, right?" Jake wondered. He reached into his bag and pulled out a pair of them. "For some reason, I still have these from our Hoenn days. They barely fit me," he turned to Charlotte, "but they'll fit you for sure."

The petite brunette looked up at her boyfriend's brother and silently nodded, thanking Jake for the gift. She then wrapped them around her head and placed the lenses over her eyes, giving her the look of a pilot. For whatever reason, it amused Niko to see this.

"Now we need something," Jake said upon closing his bag back up and looking at Niko, "we have nothing for the cold.

"I'll be fine. I've got a plan," Niko said, turning to Drampa. "You take Jake and Charlotte. I'll ride on Braviary, and we'll go first into the clouds."

"Wait…what? That doesn't make any sense!" Charlotte said, frantically taking her goggles off and handing them to Niko. "You need these then!"

Niko stared at the goggles and shook his head. "I'll be okay, we've done crazier things. Take them."

"You're so stupid sometimes," Charlotte muttered as she placed the goggles back on and boarded Drampa with Jake behind her. Niko got on Braviary's back, and the two Pokemon took flight once more into the sky, towards the top of Mt. Coronet.

* * *

 _Yeah, Charlotte's right…_ Niko thought to himself as he gripped Braviary's feathered neck. _I'm so stupid_. The cold air had quickly gotten to him, and he soon found himself holding onto the Valiant Pokemon for dear life as they ascended Mt. Coronet from the air, rather than from the inside like he had done last time. By the time they were midway to the peak, Braviary noticed his trainer's fatigue and took a break on a small cliffside. Niko got off, panted, and held his arms above his head as he stared into the misty expanse below. He hadn't been so high in the air since Mount Lanakila, but he had more easily adjusted to the elevation then. Somehow, Mount Coronet was different.

Braviary looked at his trainer curiously. He had rarely seen Niko give in to exhaustion like that, so he quickly realized something was wrong, but couldn't figure out what exactly. So, he sat there as they waited for Niko to re-collect himself, just in time for Drampa to appear from the mist below.

"What happened?" Charlotte shouted to her boyfriend as Drampa floated in the air level with the cliffside Niko and Braviary were on.

"Took a quick break," Niko said with a smile, "let's keep going!" he leapt onto the Valiant Pokemon and took off once more, much to Charlotte's surprise. She too noticed something different, like he was compensating for something with this eagerness to get to the top. _That's crazy, though…_ she thought, _Niko shouldn't have anything to prove, right_?

The second half of the ascension to the peak of Mount Coronet didn't take nearly as long as the first half. Niko, Braviary, Jake, Charlotte, and Drampa made it to the top with relative ease, landing near the familiar platform Niko had recognized from his last adventure. As Braviary was descending, he saw the speared pillars that characterized the peak, the stone platform, and the stairway up to the platform.

Something was different, though.

"What's that…?" Niko asked, jumping off of Braviary and staring at another set of stairs going up into the center of the dark cloud. The stairs were glowing in a variety of colors that resembled a rainbow.

"No idea," a familiar voice sounded from behind Niko. Turning, he noticed a tall woman dressed in a black pantsuit. Her blonde hair fell down to her knees. She stared directly at Niko with her piercing dark eyes.

"Oh, Cynthia…" Niko said with a lack of surprise in his voice. Whenever something was wrong with Sinnoh, Cynthia was there, no matter what. It's something he admired about her, above all other Champions. It also made him wonder if, had he defeated Hau, how he could live up to that sort of responsibility.

"It's been a while, Niko," she said, walking up to the brown-haired trainer that was roughly her height, and shook his hand. "How are you?"

"Cold, and tired, but fine," Niko said, verbally admitting that the trek up to Spear Pillar had taken more out of him than he had expected. "What's going on here?"

"I have an idea…but it's not fully formed," Cynthia said, eying the stairway again. "Leader Candice alerted me that you'd be showing up," she turned to see Jake and Charlotte. "I recognize you," she said to the brunette, "but not you…"

"I'm Jake, Niko's brother."

"Ah. Pleasure to meet you, Jake. I'm Cynthia, Champion of the Sinnoh region."

"Jake's challenging the league," Niko added as Jake and Cynthia shook hands.

Cynthia nodded, seeming to disregard Niko's comment. "This is the stairway that supposedly leads to the Hall of Origin."

"Hall of…Origin…?" Charlotte asked, shivering as usual.

"Yes, the Hall of Origin," Cynthia repeated. "It's the home to Arceus, the god of all Pokemon."

"There's a Pokemon god?" Jake asked.

Cynthia turned to him and nodded, her eyes piercing his once again. "Yes. Arceus is known as the Alpha Pokemon, or 'The Original One.' It is a normal type Pokemon and is said to have emerged from an egg in a place where there was nothing. It shaped the universe, and therefore our world with it."

"So…it's created everything?" Niko asked. He remembered reading something about Arceus in his Sinnoh mythology book years back, but the information on this particular Pokémon was scarce. He noticed Cynthia nod once more.

"Arceus is responsible for creating the 'Creation Trio' consisting of Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina, as well as the 'Lake Trio' consisting of Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie," Cynthia explained. "It is responsible for life as we know it."

"So, why are we seeing this stairway?" Jake asked as he approached it.

Cynthia looked from him and back towards the stairway with a puzzled expression. "Arceus does not show itself willingly. In fact, there haven't been any recorded sightings of this Pokémon. It's all based on different theories. So, there is no precedent for the stairway to appear. If I'm being honest, I truly have no idea why this is happening."

"It's related to the dark clouds, though," Niko said.

"Right. Something must be wrong with Arceus for it to get involved. But why are these clouds appearing, and why are they so dark?"

Niko sat down on a stairstep nearby, trying to think of a reason—any reason—as to why this was happening. His first thoughts went immediately to some sort of villainous team like Galactic. This idea, once verbalized, was shot down by Cynthia. According to her, there was no such thing as a Team Galactic anymore.

"How would one, hypothetically, gain access to the stairway?" Niko eventually asked. It was a roundabout way to a potential answer, but it was something.

"With an object called the Azure Flute," Cynthia explained. "It plays a melody that humans and normal Pokemon cannot hear. Only Arceus can, supposedly at least."

"How would one get ahold of this?" Niko asked.

"That's not a question I can answer," Cynthia said. "However, I know someone who can. Come with me: we're going back to Celestic Town."

Surprised, Niko and his friends boarded their Pokemon and left Spear Pillar swiftly. During their trip down, Cynthia explained her reasoning for leaving the stairway behind.

"We cannot gain access to it as we don't have the Azure Flute. Only the one who played the flute can. Therefore, we cannot do much at Spear Pillar anymore."

"Why not wait until the owner comes back?" Jake wondered.

"If the legends surrounding Arceus are true—then they won't return," Cynthia said solemnly. "At least, in theory they won't."

No one spoke for the rest of the trip.

* * *

"Grandmother, I'm here," Cynthia said as she opened a wooden door to a log cabin. They had landed on the outskirts of Celestic Town, up in the hills near Route 210. While Braviary had no issue returning to his pokéball, Drampa seemed intrigued by the house they were about to enter. Niko noticed this, and allowed the Placid Pokemon to sit outside, as he couldn't fit in the small home.

Once they entered a small, frail woman entered and immediately lit up upon seeing Cynthia. Hurriedly, she wobbled over to the Champion and hugged her. "Cynthia…it's been too long. How are you?"

"I'm doing well. Grandmother, this is Niko, Jake, and Charlotte. They're with me," she said, and proceeded to explain everything that was happening on Mount Coronet. Her grandmother—who was known as Catherine—listened intently while they sat on small couches in a relatively large living room. An open window allowed Drampa to poke his head through and observe alongside his trainer.

Catherine sat there for some time before responding.

"Grandmother, do you know anything about Arceus that we don't?" Cynthia asked politely.

"It seems…that the Creator is upset by something. That much is clear. The reasons as to why, I wouldn't know. However, legend has it that when Arceus appears, rays of light descend from the skies. Dark clouds do not appear above Spear Pillar and lead to the Hall of Origin. That, obviously, is unnatural."

"So…?" Niko asked curiously.

"So, either Arceus is angered, or someone is tampering with it…somehow."

"How can you 'tamper' with a god?"

"No idea. There is no way that I know of to capture Arceus. The only objects related to the Creator are the Azure Flute and the Plates."

"Plates?"

"Yes. The Azure Flute grants access to the Hall of Origin but does not allow one to control Arceus. There are also these Plates that allow Arceus to alter its form—give it a different type and change its appearance to match that of the Plate."

"So, it can become, say, a grass type?" Niko asked.

Catherine turned to him and nodded. "Indeed. But still, that does not grant one control. It is possible that Arceus is under the control of someone else, or something else. It's unlikely, but possible. I just do not know how it is possible."

Niko was taken aback by how calm Catherine was. She seemed to be handling the potential end-of-the-world unusually well.

"Well," Jake began, "how do we deal with this? It's clear something is wrong with Arceus, but what can we do about it?"

Catherine looked at the ground. She then turned to her granddaughter. "You have been troubled for some time, Cynthia. And I don't mean just today."

Cynthia sighed and nodded. "There have been…reports of mysterious activity in Sinnoh and beyond. For the past year or so, I have been in contact with regional champions and have heard of similar activity, albeit much less. It was only until a week ago that it was nothing more than reports and rumors," she looked at Niko and Charlotte. "Hau was in on this and has been worried of a possible attack on Alola. Your league was almost cancelled because of this. Luckily, no such attack occurred."

Niko raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" He wasn't surprised of the secretive nature of this, but surprised that this was an ongoing issue. "What else do you know?"

Cynthia looked at him solemnly and continued. "I am—or was, rather—aware of the true location of the Azure Flute. It's, in fact, a family secret," she turned to her grandmother. "However, I grew concerned when I heard rumors of someone taking it. I do not know who, or why, but I had an informant alert me to the possibility of it being stolen. Unfortunately, I was unable to stop them despite my best efforts, and the Azure Flute was stolen a week ago.

"I gathered the Elite 4 and began hunting them down until today, when the clouds appeared above Mount Coronet. That's when you three got involved. Someone managed to successfully use the Azure Flute to access the Hall of Origin. By the time I got to the peak of the mountain, they were gone, replaced by you three."

Niko blinked. "So, can anyone use the Azure Flute?"

"That's what troubles me the most. Only certain humans can play the flute and successfully encounter Arceus. However, as I said before, it's never been done. At least, there's never been a recorded instance of this. Arceus is a Pokémon with more power at its disposal than virtually any and all Pokémon. Whoever can control such power can alter reality as we know it. However, as my grandmother has said, controlling Arceus is impossible."

"So, this person…they can only access Arceus, but not use it?" Niko asked, noticing Cynthia immediately nod.

"The reason is still unknown."

"To summarize," Catherine stated, "Someone has gained access to Arceus using an Azure Flute that they stole from a location only known to Cynthia and myself and have entered the Hall of Origin to make an attempt at controlling Arceus. The reason behind this, as well as the person behind it, are still unknown, but it's clear the intent is not a benevolent one."

"Because of the dark clouds," Niko said.

"Yes. Either Arceus is rejecting the user or accepting them and giving in to their intent. The first one is more likely—Arceus is supposedly an inherently good, but just, Pokémon. It will do whatever is in the best interest of the universe it has created and does not give in to manipulation."

"So, what's next?" Jake asked, "do we have to do anything about this?"

Cynthia turned to him, "only if you want to. I am heading to Aether Paradise in Alola to convene with the Champions of every region. We need to do whatever we can to stop this before it gets worse. I am inviting you three to join me, if you want to."

Niko turned to Charlotte and Jake. He had been in situations previous to this where the end of the world was a very real outcome. However, he had never dealt with the Creator of Pokémon before. Arceus was an entirely different creature. Regardless of the reason behind its anger, the fact of the matter was that it _was_ angry.

As usual, he felt a need to help.

"I'm in," Niko said. He turned to Charlotte. "You don't have to join me if you don't want to."

"I do," Charlotte said swiftly and decisively. "We're a couple. We're in this together."

"So am I," Jake declared.

Niko turned to Drampa, who also nodded. The elderly creature seemed more than ready to fight. "Off to Aether Paradise, then?"

Cynthia nodded. "We leave in an hour."

* * *

 **Author's Note: The plot thickens! What do you all think of this one? Any predictions on what'll come next? Who's behind all of this? Find out in the next episode!**


	3. The gathering

**Episode 3: The gathering**

There they were, flying over the large expanse of water en route to Alola—again. Niko had heard of the Aether Paradise, but never visited it before. What he knew was that it was, essentially, a very large floating structure somewhere between Melemele and Akala Islands. From Sinnoh, the journey was expected to take half a day at most.

The three of them—plus Cynthia—were boarded on a chartered plane that only Cynthia, in her role as Champion, could access. The flight departed from Veilstone City earlier that evening and would be an overnight flight, with them landing in Alola the following morning.

During much of the flight, Niko sat in a window seat and looked out at the darkened ocean below. The clouds above Sinnoh were expanding, but at a slow enough pace that they only covered most of the region when Niko and his friends departed hours prior. He turned to his left to see Charlotte laying down next to him, curled up in a seat that only she could curl up in and resting in his lap.

"How're you doing?" he asked quietly. Jake was asleep in the row opposite them. Cynthia was in a compartment in the back of the plane, presumably asleep as well.

"Me? I'm…fine," Charlotte said through a yawn. "I'm tired, though."

"I get that," Niko said calmly.

"And you?"

Niko smirked. "I'm doing alright."

"Are you though?"

Niko paused.

"Yeah…I'm fine."

"Do you mean it?" Charlotte asked, only sounding slightly concerned.

"Mhmm, yep."

"You know you should tell me when something is wrong. That's what I'm here for—you."

"And I you," Niko replied. "But I mean it—nothing is wrong."

Charlotte took a moment to respond due to another yawn. "Okay, I believe you. Are you ready for whatever we have coming next?"

"You mean at the Aether Paradise?" Niko asked, feeling Charlotte nod. "I guess so. I don't know what to expect, but I think we'll be fine. This will be fine."

"Your confidence always seems to surprise me," Charlotte muttered, "I don't know why, but it does."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Well, even when you were at your lowest point you always seemed willing to tackle tough challenges. I've never known you to not have confidence. I've never known anyone like that."

Niko was surprised by this—of course he has lacked confidence and hope at times. But Charlotte was right: he rarely lost confidence in his abilities even after quitting his journey for half a year. To be sure, he had felt unsure of himself multiple times, but he put that discomfort aside to put on a brave face for his friends and Pokémon. There were also times where he knew the odds were against him but tried anyways, but not because of confidence—because he knew that somehow, in some way, he would grow as a result. That does not require confidence, only a willingness to lose.

"That's what makes you such a great person and trainer, I think," Charlotte muttered sleepily. "You're hopeful."

"Thanks, Charlotte," Niko said, noticing his girlfriend smirk before falling asleep in his lap.

He had a lot to think about.

* * *

"Wake up, we're here," Cynthia said as she nudged Niko's shoulder. Opening his eyes, he slowly noticed Charlotte and Jake were gone, and that they weren't moving any more.

"Oh, great," Niko said, his hair a mess. He unbuckled himself and stood up to stretch. Charlotte and Jake were sitting at a table nearby eating, which suggested that they had only landed moments ago.

"Morning!" Charlotte said, waving to Niko who joined her at the table. "We're about to head out, but here," she handed him a breakfast wrap. "For the road."

Niko took it and began to furiously eat it as they got up and exited the chartered plane. Immediately, Niko was blinded by the new environment. There was white _everywhere_ around him. Only once he was able to partially cover his eyes could he see the platform they were standing on. It spanned several miles in every direction. Off in the distance Niko could see a large building protruding out of the platform. To its right was a large mansion that was dwarfed by the structure in the center.

"Welcome to Aether Paradise," Cynthia declared. "This will be our base of operations for the duration of this crisis."

"It's a crisis now?" Jake asked.

"Yes. Regardless of the cause of Arceus' anger, it's going to lay judgment upon us in some way. Our job is to both find the cause of this anger and minimize the potential damage it could do."

Moments later a vehicle approached them on the platform, with a woman in a white jumpsuit asking them to board. She was an employee of the Aether Foundation directed to bring them to the headquarters.

While they were driving, Cynthia mentioned that she also directed others to join them. "We need all of the help we can get, so I gathered up a rather large team of Regional Champions, League Champions. I also put out feelers to some who might be familiar faces to you three."

Puzzled by this, Niko sat in silence, wondering who on Earth Cynthia had brought to this. Certainly no one close to him—he was afraid of losing someone in this crisis.

They got to the entrance and exited the vehicle. Their driver also got out and escorted them to the entrance—a set of glass double doors with golden borders on them. After walking down an equally bright white hall, lit up by a mixture of skylights and white lamps on the sides of the hallway, they entered a much larger room with dozens of people—many of them familiar faces—walking about.

Niko immediately recognized the person closest to them—his friend and rival Ian. The hyperactive young man, upon noticing Niko, rushed over to nearly tackle him to the ground. "NIKO!" he shouted excitedly. "Bout time you got here!"

"Ian…what?" Niko asked, looking down at his friend. "What're you—?"

"We're here to help!" Ian said, turning to Cynthia, who quietly nodded before walking towards Diantha and Bonnie, who waved to Niko happily. "I was on my way to Alola when I got the call from Brittany, asking me if I wanted to join in on this."

Niko raised an eyebrow. Just who _was_ invited to this?

He didn't have to wait too long. Soon enough, a small group of familiar faces crowded around him, Ian, Charlotte, and Jake. JJ, Maizie, Warren, Sydney, Brittany, and Fay all stood there, staring at Niko.

"What are you all doing here?" Niko asked.

"Apparently the world is about to end, and no one knows why," Warren said, walking up to embrace his best friend. "We thought we'd help out, just like we always have."

"You have a hero complex, Niko," Fay said with a wink, "always have, and we're here to put you in your place."

Niko laughed. Fay, as always, was correct. He suddenly felt a little better, but not enough to take his mind off of other things. Warren caught onto this and whispered something in Charlotte's ear before nodding, turning back to Niko, and gripping his shoulder.

"We've got this—all of us," Warren said confidently.

"Of course, we do. We did in Unova," Niko said.

"And Hoenn," Brittany said.

"And Kanto," Fay said.

"And Sinnoh," JJ added before walking up to Niko with Maizie. "By the way Niko," he turned to his girlfriend, who was holding an unusually large blanket in her arms. "There's someone I want you to meet."

Niko carefully moved towards Maizie, who unfurled the blanket to reveal a small child inside. The daughter of JJ and Maizie lay there, fast asleep. She had short brown hair that curled on the edges. She was slightly plump in the face, as babies usually are.

"She's beautiful," Niko said softly. "What's her name?"

"Valerie," Maizie said decisively.

"Hi, Valerie," Niko said as he noticed the baby girl wake up, revealing that she inherited her father's blue eyes. "I'm Niko. Sorry for waking you up."

"Oh, you didn't," Maizie said cheerfully, "she usually wakes up around now."

"One of the many times she does, that is," JJ said with a yawn.

"Tired, I take it?" Fay asked, only to received a nod from his longtime friend.

"Now…why did you bring your child here?" Niko asked in a more serious tone. Sometimes, he never quite understood JJ's motives.

"We wanted you to meet her," JJ said, "also—we live pretty close by to the Aether Paradise, relatively speaking," he said, "plus, I wanted to go through this with you—just like the old days," the curly blonde spoke with a determination Niko had not seen in a long time.

Niko simply nodded and turned to the others. Warren and Sydney were speaking with Charlotte, Jake with Fay. Brittany grabbed his arm lightly to get his attention. "What's up?"

"How are you?" she asked.

"That seems to be the question of the day, doesn't it?" Niko asked. "I'm fine, though."

"You seem tense," Brittany, who usually had her finger on Niko's emotional pulse, noted.

"I am fine."

She nodded, and hugged Niko. "I'm glad we're all here together. It seems weird, though, don't you think?"

"What is?"

"That us, of all people, are gathered to fight some unknown problem. Seems farfetched, don't you think?"

"I suppose so," Niko said, breaking away from the hug. "But like you all said—it's better that we do this together. I'm glad you're here."

"So am I," Brittany said. She then turned to talk with Charlotte and catch up. Meanwhile, Niko continued looking around, immediately recognizing a couple more people and proceeding to greet them.

All the while, he considered what Brittany had told him— _they_ were chosen to help out. It didn't seem like a big deal, at least to Niko, but it was odd. _It must be because we all seem to have a penchant for danger, I suppose_ , Niko thought to himself as he walked past JJ and Maizie and onwards to greet some old rivals of his.

"Niko?" Oliver asked as he turned to see his Kalos rival. "What're you doing here?"

"Helping out, I guess," Niko said as he looked around. "I should be asking the same thing."

"Diantha and Bonnie asked me, and I reached out to Wally here. We've, well, become pretty good friends since we were all in Kalos together. How've you been?"

"I've been alright. Spent some time in Alola after the Kalos League," Niko said. It hadn't been a year since he had last seen Oliver, but the young man with a black afro seemed different in a way. He was calmer than normal.

"Oh? I was thinking of going there. How is it?"

"Alola is really nice, actually," Niko explained, "there aren't any gyms, but trials instead," Oliver was about to ask Niko to elaborate when a familiar green-haired teenager ran up to Niko and furiously shook his hand. "Wally! Hey!"

"Hi Niko!" Wally said excitedly. "Oliver and I were asked to come here for something. Do you know what it is?" Oliver also turned to Niko. Clearly, they hadn't been briefed on this.

"Err, well," Niko began, only to be interrupted.

"And it'll have to wait," another voice said. Niko, Wally, and Oliver all turned to see Diantha and Bonnie standing there. "We're about to gather together. Everything will be explained then."

The Champions from each region also seemed to be getting the attention of other folks, as Niko noticed the large mass of people moving from the center of the room into an auditorium of sorts. Bright white lights adorned the sides of each wall, roughly a dozen feet between them. Slowly, but surely, the room filled to encompass some familiar faces, but mostly strangers to Niko. _Must've been champions and runners-up for other leagues in the past_ , he thought to himself.

Niko took his seat in one of the middle rows next to Wally and Oliver. Charlotte, Brittany, and Jake were sitting nearby him. In front of them was a raised stage with over half a dozen individuals, all of whom were familiar to Niko in some respect: Cynthia, Diantha, Bonnie, Steven, Wallace, Alder, Lance, Hau, and Ash Ketchum, plus an unfamiliar young woman. Cynthia then stood up alongside Hau and walked to the podium.

"Welcome. You're all here because you were chosen to help us with an important mission. If all goes right, then there will not be much asked of you. However, due to the circumstances, that is not yet likely.

"The Alpha Pokemon, Arceus, is upset. Someone has entered its domain—the Hall of Origin—without its consent. We believe that Arceus is prepared to perform judgment on humanity for this individual's—or group of individuals—actions. It is on us to protect the world from this judgment.

"I have been working closely with the regional champions, all of whom are present on this stage, to do what is necessary to combat this. We have also been in touch with the gym leaders and Island Kahunas of each region so that they can take necessary actions in their cities and localities. Much of our work is either evacuating or preparing underground bunkers for folks in each region.

"So now we come back to you all. You will be assigned to a region to help protect it with your regional champion. This could be anything from preparing enough food for people, calming down wild Pokémon, or protecting from unforeseen natural disaster using your Pokémon. I, alongside Ask Ketchum, will be assembling a team to go back to Sinnoh and understand just what is happening at Spear Pillar.

"Now, let us split up and make the necessary preparations to maintain the balance of this world."

Cynthia sat down in between Hau and Ash just as Lance stood up and announced who was to go with him. Slowly, each of Niko's friends and rivals were being sent to their respective groups—Wally with Steven and Wallace, Oliver with Diantha and Bonnie, and Warren and Sydney with Alder. Ian went with Cynthia, but for the Sinnoh-specific group.

Cynthia herself then walked over to Niko, Charlotte, Jake, Fay, Brittany, and JJ. "You all are to come with me and Ash to Spear Pillar."

Niko looked up from his seat. He figured he would, but not alongside his friends. "All of us?"

"Yes. I trust the six of you. We'll be leaving tomorrow."

Cynthia then turned and left the auditorium, leaving Niko and his friends alone in the progressively emptying room. Then a thought came to him.

"Hey, Brittany," Niko asked, "do you know if there's a computer I can use to get ahold of my mom?"

"I don't see why not?" Brittany replied. "You need your other Pokémon?"

Niko nodded.

"This way," another voice, albeit less familiar, said. Niko turned to see a spiky-haired man nearly as tall as he was standing there in a black t-shirt and jeans. A Pikachu sat on his shoulder, staring at Niko eagerly. "How're you doing, Niko?"

Niko stared directly at Ash Ketchum before cracking a small smile and holding out his hand. "Hey, Ash."

"So…you ready to, err, save the world?" Ash asked, seeming somewhat unsure, for whatever reason.

"I guess so. I need to go grab my other Pokemon from my mom, first."

"Ah, you and me both," Ash said with a wink. "Let's walk together."

Niko nodded affirmatively and followed Ash, away from his friends and out of the auditorium. They walked in silence for some time before the older, more experienced trainer started to speak.

"Congrats on making it as far as you did in the Alola League," Ash said casually. "I remember when I challenged it. Didn't get _that_ far, and that was also before Hau was Champion."

"When did you challenge the Lanakila Conference?" Niko asked curiously. He had no idea how old Ash actually was.

"When it first opened. I lost in the actual league itself. But afterwards I just kept going—travelling the world and such."

"I do the same thing," Niko said quietly.

"I've noticed. We're a lot alike, you know," Ash said, caressing behind Pikachu's ear as the Mouse Pokemon cooed. "Not in a bad way—you don't seem to be as reckless as I was when I was a kid," he looked up at the ceiling as they entered a hallway. "How old are you, anyway?"

"I'm 23," Niko muttered.

"Oh, yeah you're much older than I was. When'd you start your journey? 15? 16?"

"17, actually," Niko said, surprising himself. It really had been years. To him, time seemed to move by much too fast.

"Wow, 7 years older than I was. I started at 10 and made it to the very top at…gosh, maybe 18 or 19."

"The top?"

"Oh, right. No one seems to have mentioned it to you. I'm the World Champion."

"World Champion?" Niko asked. He had heard of the title before and knew of a World Tournament. But it seemed odd that Ash, of all people, was the most powerful trainer on the planet."

"Yup. It was, wow, maybe 14 or so years ago now. Every 7 years the Pokemon World Tournament is held."

That means that Ash maintained his title around the same time Niko began his journey. Time really does fly by.

"So, you've won the title twice?" Niko asked as he noticed Ash nod. "You must be some trainer, then."

"Well, my opponent last time was sort of a pushover. He had potential, but still so much to learn about battling and raising Pokemon. Being a trainer, Niko, is not just about battling. It's about cultivating meaningful relationships with your Pokemon. They aren't just tools for fighting, but a team ready to go into battle together as one entity."

Niko nodded. That's always been his philosophy, at least as far back as he can remember.

"Anyway, I'm rambling. We're here," Ash said as he moved through a sliding glass doorway and into a small room with some computers set up towards the back wall. "I was joking earlier, by the way—my Mom doesn't have my Pokemon. It's my wife, actually."

"You're married?" Niko asked. Ash didn't seem like the sort of fellow to get married.

"Mhmm. She's in Kalos defending there. Well, defending in her own sort of way," Ash said with a slight smirk. He then turned on the computer and began a video chat with someone. Niko did the same, calling his mother.

It took some time to explain to Daisy the situation—about Arceus, the gathering at the Aether Foundation, everything. At first, she was worried about Niko and wouldn't stop telling him to keep Jake safe. She also expressed concern for Charlotte as well, which took Niko by surprise. Eventually, she surrendered a bag of pokéballs to him.

"Niko, I love you and trust you. But…please be careful, sweetie."

"I will, Mom."

Daisy smiled. "I know, but I just have to say it. And, for the millionth time, please take care of Jake. He tends to get reckless sometimes."

"Jake and I will be just fine," Niko said. "I love you, Mom!"

"Love you too. Bye now," Daisy said before cutting the video feed.

Niko looked around now. He was alone with his bag of pokéballs. Ash Ketchum and Pikachu were out of the room, off somewhere. _What now?_ He asked before looking at the bag. _I guess I can at least say hi to everyone, first_.

He snooped around the hallway in search of a larger room that could contain all of his Pokemon. Seeing none, he decided on a smaller room and sending out his Pokemon in teams, instead of all at once. Finding a small table to place the bag on, he rummaged around until he found six pokéballs—his Kanto team. He sat down in a comfortable, marble-white sitting chair and threw the six pokéballs onto the ground. Out of them came Venusaur, Pidgeot, Magneton, Shellder, Hitmonchan, and Kadabra.

"Hey guys," Niko said with a warm smile. Each of his Pokemon nodded and said hello in their own way. "So, we've got a problem. You see, the world might be in—"

Niko felt the ground briefly shake. Trying to think nothing of it, he continued.

"The world might be in danger. The Alpha Poke—"

Another shake. This time, Niko got up and ran over to the door. As he entered through the sliding glass doors a third, far more powerful quake threw him off of his feet. Fortunately, Kadabra used his psychic powers to catch his trainer before he hit the ground and brought him back up.

"Thanks, Kadabra," Niko said, running back to grab the bag of pokéballs. "Come on, guys, let's see what's going on."

He led the team of Pokemon as they charged down the hallway in search of answers. The ground shook a fourth time, forcing Niko into the side of the wall. The shaking was getting progressively more powerful. Within minutes he made it into the center room and was in pure shock at the sight.

Everything was on fire. The ceiling had a massive, gaping hole in it. Through the smoke, Niko saw something large and white, with a golden ring around its torso.

Arceus had arrived.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Things are really starting to heat up here! What do you think will happen now? Is the battle over before it even began? Why is Arceus attacking _them_ specifically?**


	4. The enemy

**Episode 4: The enemy**

Niko looked in horror as he saw everyone—familiar and unfamiliar—running in a multitude of directions through the massive room they had met in previously. He immediately summoned Vaporeon, Feraligatr, and Prinplup—all of whom were already on his person—and directed Shellder to join them in putting out the fire. Off in the distance, he noticed Jake, Warren, and Brittany doing the same. All of this was to his right and in front of him. To his left he saw the crowd of allies—Champions, friends, etc.—running to the entrance of the building. Looking at the rest of the Pokemon with him, he nodded and ran off in that direction.

He heard his voice being called. Turning to his right, he saw Charlotte running towards him. "Niko! Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I am. Are you?" Charlotte nodded. "Alright, good. What happened? I was off getting my other Pokemon when I felt an earthquake."

Charlotte wrapped herself around him and explained. "We were just leaving the auditorium. I was with JJ and Maizie, and we heard the sirens going off. We thought it was a drill or a malfunction, but once we noticed Cynthia _sprinting_ off past us, it seemed real enough. That's when the ceiling exploded, and a massive fireball crashed into the ground."

"That was Arceus," Niko said, looking up. "I saw it as I ran in."

"What're we going to do? We're not ready for this."

Niko looked down at Charlotte and met her eyes. He moved a strand of hair away from her face and smiling. "We'll be fine, Charlotte. Let's get out of the building first. Make sure JJ and Maizie are okay. I'll look around for other people, too."

Charlotte nodded, reaching up to kiss him on the cheek before running off. Niko then turned to Hitmonchan and Pidgeot.

"I need you two to go outside and see what's going on. Venusaur, Kadabra, and I will find the others. Got it?" they nodded and ran off, leaving Niko with two of his first Pokemon. "Alright, let's get moving."

They split in three directions, meeting humans and Pokemon alike on the way. Niko managed to find a lonely Cubchoo sitting in the corner. Picking it up, he rushed back towards the entrance. Before he made it out, a burning wall collapsed in his way, blocking the path out.

"Hydro pump!" Jake's voice shouted. Empoleon fired a high-pressured jet of water at the burning wall, quickly extinguishing it. "Let's go, brother," he said as he and his Pokemon leapt over the wall and towards the entrance to the Aether Foundation. Niko turned to Kadabra and Venusaur, each with stranded humans and Pokemon in their grasp, as well as Warren and Brittany, either water Pokemon, and Niko's Pokemon.

The large group then entered the outside platform—the miles-long platform, that is—only to view the sort of sight Niko never thought he would see.

A warzone.

Confused, Niko put the Cubchoo down and turned to Warren, who simply shrugged. "I thought Arceus was the enemy here…"

Niko looked around and saw men and women in pure white dress-clothes locked in Pokemon battles with his allies. They were all blonde-haired with nearly identical, bowl-cut styles, and seemed to use a variety of different Pokemon.

He was confused. They were now fighting other trainers? Why? Who were they? Why are they attacking the Aether Foundation at the same time Arceus is…?

Niko smacked his head. It was obvious!

"Venusaur, petal dance over there!" Niko shouted, pointing to a nearby couple of grunts with Bibarels. The Seed Pokemon nodded, slowly stepping forward and firing a flurry of pink petals at their new opponents, catching the two grunts and their respective Pokemon off guard and thrusting them into the air. Niko turned to see who they were fighting.

"Thanks, Niko," Oliver and Wally said with slight smiles. "But I think we had them."

"Sure, you did," Niko said with a wink before approaching them. "What's going on?"

Oliver's expression seemed to darken a little. "They call themselves Team Revelation. Who knows why they're here, or what they want, but they clearly need to get rid of us."

"Why is Arceus here?" Niko demanded to know.

Oliver shrugged. "Beats me, but I think Team Revelation is connected with Arceus. Maybe they're the ones who went into the Hall of Origin?"

"That's not possible…" Niko said, rubbing a finger along his chin. "Or, at least it shouldn't be. Do you know where Cynthia is?"

"I think she's over there," Oliver said, pointing towards the edge of the platform, through a crowd of people and Pokemon. Attacks of all types were flying back and forth like bullets, knocking humans and Pokemon alike in every possible direction. Through it all, Niko noticed a Garchomp hurtling through the air with a tall, blonde woman on its back.

"Kadabra, use psychic to clear a path for us!" Niko commanded. "Venusaur, petal dance the Team Revelation grunts in our way!"

The two Pokemon acted in unison as they rushed into the battle head-first. Niko then noticed Garchomp swoop down and latch onto his arm, carrying him out of the middle of battle and back to where he started.

"What are you doing!?" Cynthia shouted from the land shark's back. "You'll get yourself killed!"

"What's going on!?" Niko shouted back. "Why are we being attacked? Who's Team Revelation, and what do they want?"

"They must be the group that got ahold of the Azure Flute and accessed the Hall of Origin," Cynthia explained, looking onwards at the battle nearby. "Now, it seems irrelevant how they got it. Right now we need to drive them away. Can you help me with that?"

"Of course," Niko said, smirking as he turned to Venusaur. "Ready, buddy?"

"Venus," the Seed Pokemon declared.

Niko then grasped at his pendant, holding the Venusaurite. "MEGA EVOLVE!" he shouted as Venusaur changed his form, now bigger and more powerful than before. "Use frenzy plant!" Niko commanded, thrusting a finger towards the side with the most Team Revelation grunts. The Seed Pokemon stomped on the ground, causing spiked roots to sprout from the ground and progressively get closer to the targets. Within moments, the first line of defense on Team Revelation's side was thrown backwards and to the side, with Niko stepping forward, another pokéball in hand.

"Torterra, I choose you!" Niko commanded, summoning the Continent Pokemon from his bag. "Use earthquake!"

"Niko, no!" Cynthia shouted. It was too late—the earthquake struck. Fortunately, it knocked most of Team Revelation down. However, it also knocked down his allies, all of whom fell to the floor in a quick and aggressive fashion.

Niko scanned the area, looking at the results of his Pokémon's power. For the first time, he was horrified by the results.

All he heard was a long series of groans, wails, and cries. He looked at Venusaur and Torterra, both of whom quickly realized their mistakes and promptly returned themselves to their pokéballs. He turned to Cynthia, who looked at him sympathetically.

"It's fine. Let's just make sure everyone is okay," she said. As soon as she got off of Garchomp, and orange burst of energy struck the dragon type, thrusting it hard onto the pearl-white platform. "What the-?"

Cynthia was thrown backwards by a powerful gust of wind, nearly hitting Niko, who ultimately caught her mid-fall. They both looked up to see a tall woman with short, dark purple hair and an all-white pantsuit with black tips on the shoulders. She wore yellow sunglasses that still revealed her dark-colored eyes beneath them. Niko immediately recognized her but forgot where exactly.

"Ah, of course you're here," Celosia said with a smirk. "Fate is funny like that—even the smallest of encounters breed the most significant of meetings. Niko, right?"

"Yes…I met you in Kalos," Niko said without emotion. In his peripherals he noticed his friends on both sides, with Cynthia standing right next to him.

"Right, in the Pokemon Village. As a reminder, I am Celosia, formerly of Team Flare and now of Team Revelation. It's an honor to meet you again."

"What do you want!?" Cynthia shouted.

"Honey, we just want peace," Celosia said. "And sometimes we have to do the unthinkable to achieve the unthinkable."

"By killing people?" Niko asked.

"By subduing them, Niko," Celosia replied haughtily. "Notice how no one has died in this battle—not even on our side. Our leader's goal is just that—peace."

"And you are somehow controlling Arceus to achieve that?" Cynthia demanded to know. "You do realize it will destroy whatever it needs to in order to successfully give judgment to the world?"

"Only if it's acting on its own accord," Celosia said with a wicked grin. Hearing this, Niko noticed Cynthia's eyes widen. She let out a small, but noticeable, gasp. "That's right—Arceus is under our control. Well, the control of our dear leader, but our control nevertheless."

"Who's your leader?"

"None of your business, really. Now, I was ordered to put down this rebellion, and I fully intend on doing so."

Niko withdrew a pokéball. "That'll be difficult to do."

Celosia smirked again. "No, it really won't. Manectric, I choose you!"

"Incine—huh?" Niko said as he felt Cynthia's hand on his shoulder.

"I've got this. Find Ash. Find your friends. Get everyone to safety. Garchomp!" she said as she pulled out a mega stone from her pocket, lighting it up in the process. "Let's end this."

Celosia did the same, mega-evolving her Manectric as Garchomp evolved as well. Niko, taking Cynthia's orders, ran off in search of Charlotte and Ash.

It took him longer than he expected—and many near-death experiences dodging elemental attacks—but he found his girlfriend doing battle with someone who looked like they used to be a part of Team Skull. Her Salazzle was out and had successfully poisoned an Alolan Raticate.

"You've got this handled babe?" Niko asked as he quickly came to a stop next to Charlotte, who looked up at him and smiled.

"Yeah. Is Cynthia okay?" when Niko nodded, she smiled. "Alright, do you need anything?"

"For you to stay alive," he said. Suddenly, he saw his Pidgeot fly towards him with several burn marks on his wings. "Oh lord!" he said as he caught his Pokemon. "You okay buddy?" Niko held Pidgeot for a moment before noticing Hitmonchan limping away, dodging a psyshock attack. Niko whipped out two pokéballs and returned them. "We'll get you guys some medical attention in a moment—I think it's burned down by now."

He quickly glanced at Charlotte before standing back up and running off. He needed to find Ash.

It didn't take long. The World Champion was near the edge of the platform, his Pikachu using iron tail on four Pokemon at once, successfully felling each one of them. Meanwhile, Niko noticed a Charizard swiftly moving through the air, raining fire down on enemy Pokemon. After briefly dodging a razor leaf from a Gogoat, he met up with Ash, panting heavily.

"Hey Niko, you alright?" Ash asked curiously. The younger trainer nodded. "So…Celosia of Team Flare is up to this eh? I remember her."

"You do?"

"Yeah. Kalos went through a crisis involving Team Flare. She was one of the admins, or generals, of Lysandre. They…they were tough as nails, bud."

"Well, she isn't their leader as it seems. He—or she—is somewhere else. Their goal is peace."

"I heard. She had some sort of voice modification that allowed everyone to hear. After you cleared the field, it was easy to see and hear anything and anyone."

Niko shivered at the mention of his mistake. Ash noticed this and chuckled.

"We all make mistakes, Niko. Don't worry about it. Anyway, what does Cynthia need?"

"We need to get everyone out of here, and quickly. Arceus might—" Niko paused. He had completely forgotten that the Alpha Pokemon had revealed itself so quickly. He turned back to the Aether Foundation's main building just in time to watch it explode.

"Oh…shit," Ash said. "We need to find some way to get everyone out of here, and quickly!"

"Any ideas?" Niko asked.

"No…but come with me," Ash said, turning to Pikachu and Charizard while withdrawing a third pokéball containing a Greninja. "You three keep fighting. Greninja, we'll be in touch. Stay safe, don't be stupid."

The three Pokemon nodded before turning back to fighting. Meanwhile, Niko and Ash ran back through the battle and towards the building that had just exploded. The entire time, Niko couldn't stop thinking about Team Revelation's goal. What did they mean by "peace," and why did they think it was ordinarily unachievable?

Meanwhile, he noticed people that he recognized as his allies retreating. He saw Ian and JJ moving backwards as Team Revelation grunts moved forwards. Brittany's Dewott collapsed from exhaustion in battle. Jake's Flygon spun out of control from a psychic attack and crashed into the ground. He noticed Maizie near the burning building, trying to keep Valerie safe.

"Drampa, you're up!" Niko shouted, summoning the Placid Pokemon. "Get Maizie and Valerie away from here, please," he instructed, pointing to Maizie. "We'll get you to safety!" he shouted as a confused Maizie watched Drampa approach her and her daughter. Noticing this as well, JJ sprinted towards Niko. "You'll be safe, get away from here."

"But—"

"No buts," Niko said, stopping and grabbing JJ by the shoulders. "Go. We'll all be fine. Ash and I will take care of this."

JJ wanted to protest, but eventually nodded. "Alright. Maizie, let's go," JJ said. Within minutes the small family was on Drampa, who swiftly left the Aether Foundation.

"Well done, Niko," Ash complemented. "Now, I remember my friend Lillie mentioning that there are life rafts somewhere around here," he looked around the corner of the massive, burning building. "We might need to go inside."

Niko withdrew a pokéball and nodded. "Braviary!"

Ash did the same. "Staraptor!" the two bird Pokemon leapt out of their pokéballs and were quickly instructed to search above for any signs of life rafts. The two nodded and shot into the air while Ash and Niko ran into the building.

"This isn't a smart idea," Niko said as he coughed.

"Got anything that can put out a fire?" Ash asked. "I don't have too many Pokemon to spare," Niko nodded and summoned Feraligatr, Vaporeon, and Prinplup, ordering all three to use hydro pump. "You've got quite a collection, don't you?"

"Heh, thanks," Niko said. "And good job you three, let's look for life rafts now," Niko said as they continued to put out flames and search the many floors of the building. Eventually, they found something on the bottom floor.

The port was just at ocean-level, with a large opening facing the water beyond. Boats of varying sizes were assembled along the inner edge along the walls of the port. "This…is too much of a trip for everyone," Niko said as he realized how long it took to get to the bottom. "We need something faster."

"This might be our only option, Niko," Ash said as he looked around. Eventually, he noticed his Staraptor flying in, with Braviary closely behind. "We found it. Did you find anyth—"

Another shake.

"Oh no," Niko said. "Arceus."

"Staraptor, is it Arceus?" Ash asked. The Predator Pokemon nodded, as did Braviary. "I'll go back up. Stay her, Niko."

"Why me?"

"We need someone here in case they try to prevent us from escaping the port. I'll be back with the others."

"But—"

"It's our only hope at this point. See ya," Ash said as he ran off, back up the stairs.

* * *

Charlotte was exhausted. She had been battling for nearly an hour now. On all sides attacks were being thrown, many of them nearly hitting her. She was surprised at how quickly this ignited into an all-out conflict and wasn't sure what to make of it.

She wasn't worried, not yet at least. Her Pokemon were fine—at least they seemed like it. However, she was worried about Niko and his friends, particularly JJ and Maizie. She had just felled a Bisharp with Salazzle when she saw Warren running up to her.

"What's up," he said, panting between each word.

"I'm fine. Have you seen JJ and Maizie?"

"Yeah, they're flying away on Niko's Drampa. They just left."

"Alright, good. I was worried."

"I figured. Where's Niko?"

"Off looking for Ash," Charlotte said, looking behind her in the direction Niko had gone. "I don't know where he went afterwards, or if he even found Ash."

Warren nodded, running a hand through his now greasy brown hair. "He'll be fine. We need to start moving people away from the battle. Can you help with that?"

Charlotte nodded. "Yeah. Salazzle, Decidueye, keep fighting. I'll be back!"

Her Pokemon nodded and continued to spray venom and fire arrows while their trainer dashed off with Warren. "I have Leavanny set up nearby to patch people up. But even that has come under fire."

"For people who don't want to kill, they sure seem to be doing just that," Charlotte said as she witnessed an Infernape hurtling backwards with more bruises than she had seen before on a Pokemon. "Oh, my…"

"Yeah, we need to get these people away," Warren said before pointing to the little set-up Leavanny had near the eastern edge of the platform, far enough away from the main building. "Start rounding people up."

"But—"

"Let's go," Warren said. "Get everyone that either you or Niko knows and get them to talk to others," just as they began to split, they noticed Ash Ketchum running in their direction, forcing Warren to stop. "What's up?"

"Niko's down at the port. Let's try and get as many people down there as possible. It's a long trip, but we can do it."

"And what about people who can't walk?" Charlotte asked, genuinely curious.

"We have Pokemon who can carry them down. We just need to get out of here!" Ash said before running off. Warren and Charlotte looked at one another and jointly nodded before separating to grab others.

It didn't take much convincing. Many of Niko's friends left their Pokemon to battle so they could continue to spread the word. Whatever it took.

Within the next half hour, Charlotte and Warren managed to get many of their allies towards the now-extinguished building. They did so quickly and relatively quietly, with everyone's Pokemon staying back to fight and stall. Just as Charlotte moved the last person—Champion Diantha—towards the stairwell taking them in the direction of the port—she saw Arceus floating nearby them.

It didn't look happy.

"Charlotte…go," Warren said, whipping out a pokéball.

"What? No!" Charlotte snapped. She then whistled with her fingers to get the Pokémon's attention. Soon enough, not just the Pokémon—but the grunts from Team Revelation—charged towards the stairwell. "Oh, no…" she said, getting out of the way of the Pokémon.

Now she was essentially trapped, in a way. She had grunts running after her, Pokémon trying to get through the stairwell, and a pissed off god about to kill her.

The golden ring on Arceus' torso began to glow, as if it were preparing an attack. Immediately, Warren threw a pokéball containing Poliwhirl forward, just as Decidueye and Salazzle also leapt forward to tank the attack.

"Pikachu, thunderbolt!" Ash shouted. "Charizard, flamethrower! Greninja, water shuriken!"

All three attacks pushed the grunts backwards while Charlotte's Decidueye leapt forward and took Arceus' attack, watching it pass into the Arrow Quill Pokémon and crashing into the ground, further separating Charlotte and her friends from the grunts.

"Leave, now!" Ash shouted. The remaining Pokémon retreated either through the stairwell or into the air to dive under the Aether Foundation to the port.

"Thanks, by the way," Charlotte said as she quickly made her way down the staircase alongside Ash and his Pikachu.

"No worries. We're all on the same team here. Plus, that attack looked nasty. I think it's called judgment, and it's a normal type move. Maybe that's why Decidueye took it without getting hurt."

Charlotte nodded. She was happy everything worked out well, but those sorts of feelings were ephemeral in what was quickly becoming a war. She had no idea what was coming next for them, and it frightened her a bit. "Hey, Ash…who do you think is behind all of this?"

Ash looked puzzled, as if working through the answer quickly. "No clue. Could be a regional gang that I've met before, but I get the feeling that Niko played a hand in defeating some of them a second time…hmm…it's most likely someone who hasn't shown his—or her—face on the international or regional stage as the head of a gang or organization. Meaning, not as well known as, say, Giovanni or Maxie or Ghetsis. They were all known as the public face of some of their groups—at least I believe so. This person has probably been hiding in the shadows for a long time and is only now beginning to reveal themselves."

Charlotte nodded. After all, this made the most sense. "Where are we going now?"

"To Alola, and then we'll probably fly to another region. If this is going to be a war, we want to stay further away from civilization. Also, if Arceus is involved with Team Revelation, then we need to keep that monster away from major cities. While Alola doesn't have many, it would do to not do battle here."

"Poni Island seems like a safe spot, though," Charlotte said, believing that they could hide out in the forests on the island for some time."

"That is true…" Ash said, "but I would talk to Cynthia about that. It seems that she's really taken the lead on all of this."

Charlotte was about to start looking around for Niko when Ash took her by the shoulder. "Oh?"

"You're with Niko, right?" Charlotte nodded. "Keep it that way. You two are great together. Your battle at the Lanakila Conference is proof of that."

Charlotte couldn't help but smile. "Thank you, Ash."

"No problem. At least Niko is as dense as I am when I comes to women. He's lucky to have you, I think."

"I'd like to think I'm luckier, but sure," Charlotte said with a wink as she turned and joined Warren in looking for Niko.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I'm really interested to hear what y'all have to say about this arc so far. From my perspective, it's _very_ difficult to write and piece together, so hopefully i'm doing it well and not leaving any plotholes or things going entirely unexplained (there are, however, some things that must remain unexplained for the story's sake, but I mean other, much smaller details).**

 **Regardless, I hope you enjoy it!**


	5. The relocation

**Episode 5: The relocation**

Niko heard an explosion above them, just as the life boats left the port underneath the Aether Foundation. Looking up and behind him, he saw the ceiling collapsing in on itself. Arceus had destroyed their headquarters.

They hadn't even been at the base for more than a few hours before being attacked. Team Revelation had to have known something about their location—somehow—before striking. That was one of the many concerns Niko had as he sat uneasily on a rocking boat in the middle of the ocean. He wouldn't take his eyes off of the massive burning structure in the distance.

The bright side was, to his knowledge at least, everyone was safe. There were no casualties—not yet—only several injured humans and dozens more injured Pokemon. Wherever they went, they needed as many nurses on hand as possible. Fortunately, Ash knew of a couple and was currently in contact with them, arranging for them to get to Alola as quickly as possible.

That also begged the question—where would they go? Team Revelation clearly wanted them—this small band of allies—out of the picture. It made sense, since this group was composed of people like regional Champions, champions of Pokemon Leagues as well as the runners up, and the World Champion, Ash. That was naming only a few. Anyone deemed competent enough in Cynthia's eyes was summoned for this, and so it seemed obvious in hindsight why Team Revelation and their mysterious leader would want to get rid of them.

Niko then considered their stated mission—to bring peace. What did that mean? Even more bizarre was that they refused to kill anyone. Niko admired that, but it made no sense when they made the choice to control a god-level Pokemon already upset with humanity. Furthermore, they essentially destroyed the Aether Foundation without checking to see if there was anyone in the building at all.

He slapped his palm to his face. Of course they didn't mean it! It was assurance to get him and his allies to give up!

"Niko?" Charlotte asked, touching his shoulder. "You alright?"

"Hmm? Yeah, fine. Just realized something," Niko said. "But it's not serious, just me being stupid."

"If there's one thing you're not, it's stupid."

"That's far from the truth."

"I mean it."

Niko turned to her. "Anyway, do you have any idea of where we're going?"

Charlotte shook her head, "they mentioned somewhere on Alola, so we can re-group and figure out our next steps. Ash would ideally like to meet Team Revelation somewhere without a lot of people, so that we can properly end this."

"That would make a lot of sense," Niko replied. "Poni Island?"

"I suggested that, he didn't necessarily agree."

Niko nodded. "Right. Hopefully we can find somewhere more suitable to end this. We definitely don't want any casualties here."

Charlotte agreed, just as she noticed something off in the distance. For whatever reason, they were headed towards Melemele Island, and Hau'oli City in particular. Confused, she stood up and walked to the other end of the life boat, where Cynthia was sitting, talking with Steven Stone about something, likely related to their destination.

She looked up at the puzzled Charlotte, and simply smiled. "Yes?"

"Why there?" Charlotte asked, pointing to Hau'oli City. "It could be attacked by Team Revelation!"

"We need nurses to attend to our injured people and Pokemon, and supplies for our next relocation," Cynthia calmly explained. She looked beaten and battered, and her face suggested an overwhelming exhaustion within. "Without that, we cannot hope to compete against something as large and formidable as Team Revelation and their Arceus."

Charlotte nodded. It was the right choice, she just must've not been thinking clearly. Yet Cynthia, who was a million times more exhausted, seemed to be thinking just clearly. _Is that the mark of a truly powerful trainer?_ She thought to herself, _why can't I think that straight, that clearly under this much pressure?_ She then thought of Niko, who also seemed to be, for the most part, fine. Besides the facepalming earlier, he had a sort of mental clarity that she didn't seem to have.

Or maybe she was overthinking things.

When Charlotte explained the choice to go to Hau'oli City with Niko, her boyfriend seemed to nod in agreement. He trusted Cynthia's judgment, as should everyone. She was a natural-born leader. So was Ash, Niko added. He said it in a tone that was unfamiliar to his girlfriend. She couldn't quite tell whether it was envy, or animosity? Worry, maybe? Either way, Charlotte wasn't sure what to make of it.

They arrived in Hau'oli City nearly half an hour later. As soon as they landed in the port, much to the bewilderment of the residents on the beach, Niko and his friends helped to deboard the rest of the allies and some of the Pokemon that didn't have pokéballs assigned to them. There were two Pokemon Centers in Hau'oli City, and quickly both of them were filled up to the brim with patients.

Niko decided to wait a while before taking his Pokemon in. They were injured, for sure, but not as much as some of them. The only one that needed serious attention was his Pidgeot, who had practically been set on fire when he found the bird hurtling towards him. Otherwise, he sat outside for a while, waiting and thinking.

"Hey man," Niko turned to see Fay and JJ sitting down next to him on a bench, across the street from one of the Pokemon Centers. "How're you?" Fay asked.

"Me? I'm fine, I guess," Niko said with a light laugh, coughing all the while.

"You sound in perfect health," JJ added, lightly punching Niko's shoulder.

Niko couldn't help but smile. "The three of us, back at it again."

"It's been a while since it's been the three of us," JJ commented, looking out onto the setting Alolan sun. "And, well, only the three of us."

"It was almost just Niko and I at one point," Fay added. "And then someone decided they couldn't bear leaving us and stuck around."

JJ glared across the bench at Fay. "Well, you guys wanted me to. I also wanted to stick around and go on adventures."

"Well, because of that you now have a daughter. Guess we're good for something," Niko teased, lightly punching JJ's shoulder now.

"Definitely the weirdest thing you've ever said to me, Niko," JJ said.

"But not the weirdest thing you've ever heard, and you know it," Niko replied with a wink. "Anyway, it's great to see you two again, even if it's under some scary circumstances."

"Scary? This is fun, dude," Fay added. "You two have no idea how much I miss going on adventures with you guys."

"Really? You know you're always welcome," Niko said in slight shock. It was Fay that chose to stop travelling and focus on his research interests, so hearing this was certainly a surprise.

"Of course, but my career does matter, too. My passion isn't in battling anymore, it's in finding answers. That's what research is all about, right? Understanding how things are the way they are and finding new ways of solving problems. That's my goal in life," he looked directly at Niko through a pair of elliptical-shaped, shaded glasses. "What's yours?"

"To be the best trainer out there," Niko said with absolute certainty. Fay sat back and seemed to smile at this.

"Glad you figured it out."

"I've definitely mentioned it to you before," Niko said.

"I know. But you're more certain of it now, at least from my perspective."

"Remember our first day?" JJ asked. "The day we left Pallet Town, that is."

"I do," Niko said, "I'll never forget it, either."

"Yeah, Niko and I were about to leave, and you fucking came along at the last minute," Fay said in a joking manner.

"Classic JJ," Niko muttered.

"Hey! I always wanted to tag along, but you never included me in your plans!"

"Well, maybe if you showed up we would have," Fay argued back, an eyebrow raised in slight amusement.

"He's got a point," Niko added.

JJ sat back, "Well…I'm just glad that I did decide to go with you two. I don't know what my life would look like without you both."

"Neither would we," Niko said. "It was so much fun travelling with you for as long as we did."

"Brothers for life, Niko," JJ said, holding out a fist. Niko smirked and bumped it. They both did the same with Fay, solidifying their bond.

"And here we are, saving the world…again," Fay said.

"Like in Kanto, and in Hoenn, and in Sinnoh, and Unova," Niko said.

"Your hero complex is crazy," Fay added. "Not necessarily a bad thing, but you really seem to find yourself in the craziest of situations."

"Sometimes I really didn't want to, either. Like in Hoenn, since Jake was with me I didn't want to be involved with Team Magma and Aqua. Or in Unova, Charlotte didn't want to because of how dangerous it was. I did, but she made a good case for why we shouldn't try to stop them. Kanto was just a random occurrence, so Sinnoh was really the only one where we didn't have any reservations, I think," Niko said, turning to JJ for confirmation.

"I agree, that was an easy one if I recall correctly."

"How does this compare to those?" Fay asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, it's on a much larger scale, that's for sure. Usually our conflicts are just us versus the enemy, whomever it was. Now it's an actual war, or at least a larger battle. Also haven't had my near-death experience yet, so it isn't completely the same."

Fay laughed at the last part. "Of course it isn't. Wouldn't be a real battle without The Great Niko nearly dying at least five times."

"Team Plasma almost succeeded!" Niko argued, "Just ask Charlotte!"

"Oh, I believe you. I've certainly had those moments. Dragon Pokemon, Niko. Those are my near-death experiences."

Niko shook his head in amusement. A lot was on his mind, and the one thing keeping those thoughts at bay were two of his closest—and longest—friends. The three of them, watching the sunset on a bench and reminiscing on old memories. Those are the sorts of moments that made life worth it for him.

They continued talking for a couple of hours, reliving old adventures of theirs in Kanto, Johto, and even before. At one point, Niko was doubled over and crying from something JJ had said to him. Their conversations ended when Charlotte lightly touched Niko's shoulder.

"Hey, I've been looking for you," she said calmly.

"What's up?" Niko asked, turning around.

"Well, everyone's all healed up, for the most part at least. You're free to send in your Pokemon if you'd like. Also, I think Ash and Cynthia would like to have a word with you."

Niko nodded and stood up, nodding to Fay and JJ as he returned to reality. Following Charlotte, his mood noticeably changed. "I miss them, Charlotte."

"I noticed. You looked really happy. Sorry for interrupting it."

"No, it's totally fine. We have to get back to business anyway," Niko said, pulling his girlfriend in close and walking through the sliding double doors of the Pokemon Center. He quickly placed his pokéballs on a tray, thanking Nurse Joy for her tireless efforts on their behalf. Then, turning to his right, he noticed Cynthia and Ash talking with Alder and Lance, presumably about their next relocation.

He walked up to the two powerful trainers, quickly grabbing their attention. After introducing himself to Lance, and re-introducing himself to Alder, Cynthia pulled him aside, Ash following along next to her.

"How're you doing?" she asked cautiously, as if afraid of Niko.

"I'm…fine?" Niko replied with surprise. "Why do you ask?"

"You seem a little tense, that's all," Cynthia's expression slowly turned from a worried look to a smile. "Just wanted to make sure everything was fine."

"I appreciate that, thanks," Niko said, briefly looking away. He saw too many familiar faces, all of whom were exhausted. Some were sleeping on the couches in the lobby, some were tending to their Pokemon, and some were idly chatting or laughing. "How is everyone here?"

"About as well as they look," Cynthia said, "which is exactly why I sent for you."

Niko immediately looked Cynthia in the eyes, noticing Ash in his peripherals. "What's up?"

"As you know, we're relocating again," Ash began, "to a place where we can better control any potential casualties, on either side."

"Where are you thinking?" Niko wondered with genuine curiosity.

"North of Johto, there's a tundra that hasn't been inhabited in decades, possibly centuries. We're going to lure them there. Have you ever heard of the Sinjoh Ruins?"

Niko tried to think about it for a moment. They sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite remember where. "Maybe, why?"

"That's the only noticeable landmark in that part of the world. I only mention it to give you an idea of how barren this place is."

"When are we leaving?" Niko asked.

"Tomorrow morning. Also, another thing," she paused for a moment, "should Arceus re-appear, we're sending in a particular team of trainers to take it on. Ash and I will be a part of it, and I'd like for you to be as well."

Niko was taken aback by this. Him…? Fighting a god?

"W-why?"

"You're one of the most capable trainers that I know of. Ash agreed. Also, you can bring anyone that you deem capable as well, be it Charlotte, or Brittany. Whomever."

Niko nodded, quickly assembling a team of his own in his head. He nodded affirmatively to Cynthia and walked off towards Charlotte. She was over near one of the waiting rooms. "Hey," she said softly in a sing-song voice. "What did Cynthia want?"

"What's Warren up to?" Niko replied with a question of his own.

"He's helping Leavanny and the nurses tend to Pokemon," she said, pointing to Niko's Hitmonchan. "Why?"

"I'd like to talk to you both. Can you meet me here in, say, five minutes?"

Charlotte nodded. "Is everything okay?"

"Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be?"

He then ran off in search of Brittany, who wasn't hard to find. Fortunately, he managed to pull her out of an apparently uncomfortable conversation with Ian. After that, he found JJ and Fay and pulled them aside as well. Finally, he found Jake making conversation with a friend of Wally's, named Ellen. After briefly introducing himself, he pulled his little brother aside and nearly dragged him towards one of the emergency rooms.

"Niko, what's going on?" Brittany asked in a worried tone. By this time Warren had also joined, pulling off a pair of dirty gloves. He was now wearing scrubs, since he was playing a larger role in taking care of some of the Pokemon.

"Well…" Niko began, explaining everything Cynthia had told him. He went into detail about the team he was allowed to put together. "I want all of you to come with me and fight Arceus."

"You…you want us to fight a god with you?" Warren asked, raising an eyebrow. "But Niko, our Pokemon can't face up to something like that!"

"Yes, they can. Otherwise I wouldn't have asked you all to come with me," Niko said with an incredible amount of confidence. "I've travelled with each and every one of you. I trust all of you with my life, and then some. Don't even begin to think that you aren't worthy of this any less than I am."

"But we aren't league champions," Brittany said.

"We also aren't Top Coordinators, now are we?" Niko rebutted, quickly shooting down his friend's protest. "Look, if you don't want to join you don't have to. I'm only asking, not even begging. I can go on my own if I need to."

"Fortunately you won't," Charlotte said, stepping towards him. "I love you, and I'm with you all the way. No matter what."

"So am I," JJ said, slapping Niko's back.

"Me too," Jake added.

"And me," Warren held out his hand for Niko to shake.

"Don't forget me!" Brittany shouted with excitement.

"We're always with you, bud," Fay said, finalizing their group. The seven of them huddled together.

"Heh, thanks guys," Niko said sincerely. He honestly didn't expect his friends to be as willing as they were. "We leave tomorrow morning. Get your Pokemon ready, too."

The six of them nodded, all going back to whatever it was they were doing beforehand. JJ went to talk to Maizie while Fay and Brittany went off to grab their teams of Pokemon. Jake went back to chatting with Ellen, and Warren continued his medical work while pulling Sydney aside to talk with her. That left Niko and Charlotte alone together.

"Thanks for helping out," Niko said as they walked through the Pokemon Center. He was off to figure out which six Pokemon to bring along with him on this journey. Ideally, his strongest six. He assumed Charlotte would be doing the same. She, however, had less to choose from.

"You're welcome, although I don't think that you really need to be thanking me," Charlotte said, looking up at him.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, you…" Charlotte said. They were now outside, just after the sun had set and the moon was rising into the sky. "I don't get you sometimes, Niko."

She then grabbed him by the collar and forced him downwards to kiss him for longer than either of them had expected.

"I'll always be with you, Niko," she finally said, "through thick and thin."

Niko blinked for a moment before smiling. "I love you, too."

* * *

The only thing on Niko's mind the following morning was Arceus. The Alpha Pokémon's image burned in the back of his mind as he contemplated his inevitable battle with the god-like monster that was, somehow, under Team Revelation's control.

They—Niko, his six friends, Cynthia, and Ash—were flying over the Lake of Rage when Niko finally snapped back into reality. He was in a cargo plane with the small contingent of trainers. Charlotte was to his left and Warren to his right, with Fay and JJ across from him. Seeing his closest friends by his side made him feel a little more comfortable, but also equally nervous. He couldn't face the reality of losing any of them, especially Charlotte or Jake.

Looking out, he noticed entirely unfamiliar territory. He had never known what was north of the Lake of Rage—the northernmost point of the Johto region. Maybe for good reason, as he was to find out. There was literally nothing. No trees; only some hills, small lakes, and a mountain range off in the distance.

"This is where we believe Team Revelation might be hiding out," Cynthia declared, "or, at least, their Arceus. The Sinjoh Ruins have long been rumored to have a shrine to the Alpha Pokemon. We won't be going directly there, but close enough. I'd prefer a battle on flat land, if we can get such."

"And if not?" Warren asked curiously.

"Then we improvise," Cynthia said with a wink.

Niko looked back out. They were close to the demarcation between the tundra and what looked like a snow-packed mountain range. That must be the location of the Sinjoh Ruins.

Suddenly, he felt the plane descend slightly. They were preparing to land. Slowly, but surely, they made their way to the earth and, within minutes, the group was out and examining the area. Niko felt a chill as he exited the cargo plane—which made sense, given their location.

"So…where is everyone?" JJ asked, looking around.

"Patience," Cynthia cautioned, "they might not be aware that we're here."

"Given how large this tundra is," Brittany began, "that would make a lot of sense."

Niko nodded, whipping out one of his pokéballs, just in case. He assembled his team of Pokemon based on both strength and versatility, as they needed to be ready for just about any sort of attack.

They weren't ready for the earthquake that rattled the ground around them. Niko immediately grabbed onto Charlotte, holding her as they stood completely still for the duration of the shaking. Everyone looked around at one another as a means of assuring themselves of their collective safety. Just as they turned to face one another, they noticed the sky darkening around them. Then, almost in unison, they all looked up to the sky, in the direction of the mountains.

High up above, coming out from between the mountains in the distance was the Alpha Pokemon, Arceus, its golden ring gleaming in the shrinking midday sun. Hordes of flying Pokemon of all types emerged from behind hills and mountains underneath Arceus. Interestingly enough, none of them had any sort of trainer commanding them into battle. No, all of it seemed to come from a single being.

That man was riding Arceus. He wore an all-white suit with a golden tie. It was difficult to see him at the distance, but Niko managed to figure out who it was. The sight made him want to punch a wall in frustration. Of all of the people he could have suspected, for some reason he would not have considered this individual.

"Hello, Niko. Long time no see," Ferdinand Diamond said as he descended on the back of Arceus.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Surprise! What did y'all think of that?  
**

 **By the way, the next couple of episodes are difficult to write, so bear with me. Hopefully y'all can keep it together during them, because it's gonna be a rough ride.**


	6. The leader

**Episode 6: The leader**

Sydney sat down at one of the tables in the Pokemon Center's lobby and picked at her dinner. Warren had mentioned that this is how he and his friends dined every time they entered a new town or city, which gave her a newfound understanding of her boyfriend's life on the road. She could see how it would get old…quickly.

It was late morning, close to noon, and her boyfriend and friends had been gone for several hours now. She had said goodbye to Niko and Charlotte, then Warren, kissing him farewell. She knew he would come back—he always did—but it always worried her nevertheless. Especially after their involvement with Team Plasma a couple years back. Wearing about it on the news, and then from Warren's perspective, nearly caused her to hold him back after the Unova League. It was Niko's incredible standing in the Vertress Conference, actually, that held her back. Having someone like Niko around made her feel more comfortable about Warren going off into the unknown. It was an odd thing to say, or think, but knowing that all of them had one another's backs, and that a powerful trainer was on their side was good enough for her.

In this case, it was very much the same. The only difference was they were going up against something with unprecedented power. Arceus could raze entire regions, and they hoped to _fight_ it. That made her worried, regardless of who Warren was with.

Suddenly, Sydney noticed someone sitting across from her.

"Hi!" Maizie said, Valerie sitting in her lap. "Sydney, right?"

"Yeah. You're JJ's wife, right?"

"Girlfriend, but yes," Maizie said, holding up a hand to show a ring sitting inside one of the fingers. "Well, fiancé I suppose."

"Congrats! That's amazing!" Sydney said, "Does anyone else know?"

"Niko and Fay, I think. JJ had to have told them," Maizie said, looking down at Valerie, "I wish we had just eloped or something. I don't know about you, but I'm worried."

"Worried?" Sydney asked. Finally, someone who could relate to her?

"Yeah. I trust JJ, and I trust Niko to take care of him, too, but it still doesn't help. They're going—"

"—up against a god. I have the same worries," Sydney said empathetically before taking a bite of toast. "I also trust Niko, more than I probably should as Warren's girlfriend."

"Niko is JJ's best friend. He trusts Niko more than anyone else, except me I think."

"Warren is the same way," Sydney said, "Just goes to show who Niko is as a person."

"Well, JJ has pulled Niko out of a few rough spots, and vice versa."

"Warren got Niko back on his feet after he quit," Sydney commented. "He's lucky to have such good friends on his side."

"I think that's what gives him the power he has," Maizie said, "sounds corny or cliché, but I really think that is the reason Niko has been as successful as he has been. His friendships, and his Pokemon, that give him the courage to continue and succeed."

"I've never really thought of it that way," Sydney said, looking down at her bacon and eggs. "But it would make sense. Maybe Warren getting him off of his ass was the trigger for that? Maybe part of it is because Niko doesn't want to disappoint others?"

"Possibly," Maizie shrugged. "JJ mentioned that he does have a sense of guilt. Maybe that's also related to his hero complex."

"Oh, hah! He definitely has that," Sydney said, shaking her head. "Warren loves it. Charlotte…not so much."

"What do you think of their relationship?" Maizie wondered, causing Sydney to look back up at her. "Do you think it'll last? You know them better than I do."

"I believe so. They're a lot alike, and different in ways that don't conflict too much. They just need to figure a lot out. Well, I guess all relationships do."

"Do you? Have to figure things out, I mean," Maizie wondered.

"Warren and I? Oh yes, of course!" Sydney said. When Maizie didn't respond, she elaborated. "For starters, the whole travelling thing. I love that Warren does it, but we need to figure things out on our end, too. He's certainly felt the pressure, I think, and he misses me a lot. He told me that his journey in Alola really forced him to figure things out for himself, particularly what he wants to do with his life."

"Which is…?"

"Well, he wants to open up an orphanage and be a freelance writer on the side. Allows him to do many of the things that he loves doing—writing and taking care of Pokemon. The only difference is that he doesn't get to travel, but I'm sure he'll find ways around that."

"An orphanage?" Maizie asked with genuine surprise. "Maybe we can partner up, then! Sometimes trainers don't come to our daycare to pick up their Pokemon," she nodded when she saw Sydney's horrified face, "truly terrible people. Anyway, once you're all set up maybe we can send them your way? Or get in contact with a daycare wherever you are to set something up?"

"I'll let him know. Or, rather, you can!" Sydney said cheerfully. She really liked Maizie's company. They had briefly met on a couple of occasions at Pokemon Leagues and such, but never got much of a chance to sit down and get to know one another.

The two women talked for some time, exchanging stories of their boyfriends, of their travels, or of Niko and Charlotte. Given that their significant others were off fighting a god, they needed the light-hearted moments.

* * *

"No way," Niko said, finally finding the words as Ferdinand Diamond—clad in his usual navy pin-stripe suit—and Arceus landed on the ground. "But…why…how…?"

"I'm sure you have plenty of questions, Niko. However, let me begin by saying your performance at the Lanakila Conference was incredible!" Ferdinand Diamond said, his mustache moving up and down with each word. "You've displayed a level of skill that I have rarely seen and, trust me Niko, I've seen a lot of quality trainers and Pokemon in my time."

"I'm sure you have," Ash said bluntly. "But why are you here?"

"I should ask you the same question, although you're rather obvious, Ash Ketchum," Diamond said. "Of course the World Champion would be here to stop whatever _menace_ is threatening the world. As is Cynthia, the ever-beautiful, ever-present Champion of Sinnoh. But all of you…?" Diamond looked around at them. "Who _are_ you all?"

"We're going to kick your ass, that's who we are," Jake said.

"Oh? In case you haven't noticed, _kid_ , I've got a god on my side."

"Speaking of which, how did you manage that?" Niko asked.

"Oh, Niko…" Diamond said, now turning his attention back to Niko. "You should know by now…" he approached Niko slowly, "I always get what I want," he said in a low voice. "That means the Azure Flute was mine," Diamond said, pulling out of his coat pocket a small, purple flute with randomly-placed holes along its shaft. "Getting to the peak of Mt. Coronet, getting to the Spear Pillar, that was all me! Well, it was my underlings, like Celosia and Saturn, but still very much by my hand."

"Only certain individuals can access the Hall of Origin," Cynthia explained, "how did you manage that?"

Diamond smirked. "Like I said, honey, I can get anything…I want," he said with a wink that made even Cynthia shudder. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some world altering to do."

"Is that your plan, then?" Niko asked curiously. "To 'alter the world'?"

"Yes, in a way. You see, Niko, sometimes it's hard to have everything you want or need. Eventually, you have to simply push past your limits and soar higher. I'm a multi-billionaire. I own entire regions and Pokemon Leagues. What else is there besides unlimited power? That's what Arceus provides. It allows me to control the world, re-make it in my own image. Others have attempted to do so before—Maxie, Archie, Cyrus, Ghetsis, Lysandre, etc.—but none of them attempted to control the god of all Pokemon. In fact, it has never been attempted, period! So…why not? Why not reach for the heavens—literally?"

"All you want is universal control?" Niko asked.

"I want control of the universe. I want the world to bow before me, and Arceus is the bridge to that reality. Together, we will make the world a greater place, for myself and for everyone!"

"So that's why Team Revelation refuses to kill…" Fay muttered to himself.

"Yes, of course…that. Celosia believes that we shouldn't kill anyone if we can help it. I happen to share that belief, of course, but I won't allow something as pathetic as a 'no kill' rule limit me and my desires. If you choose to get in my way, I will eliminate you," he looked directly at Niko, "no matter who it may be, or why."

Niko squared up to Diamond, staring him down as the multi-billionaire smirked.

"What you're doing is wrong. You could have killed so many people at the Aether Foundation."

"That building was useless, I have one similar that can do everything the Aether Foundation can, and then some," Diamond scoffed. "So, it wasn't a total loss. And if it had resulted in your deaths then, sure, it'd be sad, but it'd be momentary at best."

"So you want me dead?" Niko asked.

"I want you all out of my way," he said, snapping his fingers. Two individuals on large bird Pokemon descended to the ground. One of them was dressed in the same outfit as Celosia, only he sported dark blue hair in a crescent shape atop his head. The other was a devious-looking man, almost feral in a way. His eyes were bright yellow, and his hair was a light green color. Like the other man and Celosia, he wore a special, all-white outfit with some minor differences.

"Saturn, Fenix: end them."

* * *

"It's been great chatting," Maizie said as she pulled her shirt back down and sat Valerie back in her lap. "But this little one has to take a nap now."

"Food coma?" Sydney asked. She had never seen anyone breastfeed in public before and found herself more amazed by it than she thought.

Just before Maizie was about to answer, they both heard an explosion at the door. Turning around, Maizie noticed Celosia standing in the doorway with blonde people in white suits running inside. Almost as suddenly, she quickly shifted her vision to the left and saw Oliver and Wally leap forward, pokéballs already in the air.

"Greninja, water shuriken!" Oliver shouted, "Aegislash, use sacred sword!"

"Roserade, petal dance! Gallade, psycho cut!" Wally commanded as the four Pokemon rushed in to defend the Pokemon Center.

"If you're looking for Cynthia, Ash, and the others," Oliver said, standing tall in front of Celosia, "then you just missed them."

The purple-haired admin smirked evilly. "That's exactly why we're here. Manectric, discharge!"

A yellow-furred canine-like Pokemon erupted onto the field and immediately discharged electricity in every direction, short-circuiting the entire Pokemon Center and blowing back all four of its enemy Pokemon. Gallade was the first to get back up, charging at Manectric while firing psycho cuts from his blade-arms.

"Dodge and use thunder!" Celosia commanded. Meanwhile, her grunts were running through the Pokemon Center, rounding up everyone who was part of the allied group.

"Night slash!" Oliver shouted, "Aegislash, go and defend the others, alright?" he said, turning to the Royal Sword Pokemon, who simply nodded before floating away, leaving Gallade and Greninja to do battle with Manectric.

"Drapion, I choose you!" Celosia shouted, summoning the Ogre Scorpion Pokemon. "Use poison jab!"

The dark type intercepted Greninja's night slash with a powerful punch to the stomach, rocketing the amphibious Pokemon backwards and into the main monitor of the Pokemon Center, shattering in the process. Drapion then, together with Manectric, fired an X-scissor and thunder at Gallade, knocking him backwards and subsequently paralyzing him.

"Roserade, use petal dance!" Wally shouted desperately. Drapion covered the attack, just in time for Celosia's mega ring to begin glowing a bright yellow color.

"Manectric, mega evolve!"

* * *

"Toxicroak!" Saturn shouted.

"G-g-gengarrr!" the man named Fenix shouted with a stutter.

Niko was about to withdraw a pokéball when Fay and Jake stepped forward. "You get Diamond, we've got this," Fay said, a pokéball in hand. "Electabuzz, I choose you!"

"Emboar, you're up!" Jake commanded, summoning the Mega Fire Pig Pokemon. "Use flare blitz on Gengar!"

"Sh-shadow ball!" Fenix shouted, spit flying out with each word.

Niko turned to Brittany and Warren, both of whom were fending off some of the flying Pokemon that Diamond and Arceus brought with them. Instinctively, Niko threw out a pokéball containing Braviary. "Assist them, Braviary! Use crush claw!"

The Valiant Pokemon shot into the sky like a small jetfighter, his claws bursting into a light blue aura as he weaved in and out of Brittany's Blastoise's hydro pump and into a wild Crobat, shoving his talons into the bat-like Pokemon and thrusting it into the cold ground. Niko then noticed Warren having difficulty with a trio of Pidgeots, as he only had one flying type of his own.

"Tranquil, use air slash!" he shouted, finding himself quickly overpowered. In response, he summoned Leavanny who fired a flurry of razor leaves upwards to distract the Pidgeot. Niko also assisted by summoning Feraligatr to use whirlpool. Noticing this, Warren turned to his friend and gave a thumbs up. "I appreciate it, Niko! Now…go!"

"R-right…" Niko said, turning on his feet and rushing towards Ferdinand Diamond, who was now locked in a battle with Ash, Cynthia, and Charlotte.

"Tyranitar, mega evolve!" Charlotte immediately shouted, he mega necklace lighting up. Just as the energy tendrils connected her and her Pokemon, Niko noticed Diamond smirk and, just as quickly, Arceus' golden ring began to glow brightly.

"CHARLOTTE, WATCH OUT!" Niko shouted. Just as the Alpha Pokemon launched its attack, Niko withdrew a pokéball just in time for Cynthia's Pokemon to take the hit, negating the judgment move. "…phew…"

"Thanks, Cynthia," Charlotte said as Mega Tyranitar rushed past them towards Arceus.

"Don't worry about it," Cynthia said, turning to her Spiritomb. "Use dark pulse!"

"Pikachu, thunderbolt!" Ash commanded. The Pikachu on his shoulder leapt into the air, conjuring a powerful bolt of lightning within his red cheeks and firing it at Arceus, who swiftly leapt into the air, Diamond on its back. "Use electro ball!"

"Miss, and miss," Diamond said as Arceus rocked to the left, away from dark pulse, and to the right, away from electro ball. "You'll have to do better than that, I'd say."

"Of course you will," Niko said, a pokéball in his hand. "Magneton, you're up!"

"Oh? This Magneton is quite impressive, right? I've seem all of your battles, Niko. I know what you're about. Arceus, use judgment!" Diamond commanded, thrusting a hand forward.

Another explosion of concentrated energy shot downwards towards Magneton, who was immediately blocked by yet another Pokemon. Niko turned to see Garchomp this time take the hit before crashing onto its knees in exhaustion.

"Thanks…" Niko said before turning back to Magneton. "Alright buddy put all of your energy into this! ZAP CANNON!"

Diamond scoffed. "As expected," he then reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a small, brown-colored plate from his coat pocket. "Now, Niko, prepare to see the true power of Arceus. USE JUDGMENT!"

The plate disappeared as the ground began to shake, nearly knocking everyone off of their feet and allowing for the wild, flying Pokemon to strike at them. Niko turned to see Feraligatr overwhelmed by drill peck and leech life attacks alongside Tranquill, Blastoise, and Leavanny. Nearby, Emboar and Electabuzz were struggling to stand up as well.

"Is judgment…a ground type move now?" Niko wondered, just as a light brown-colored beam of energy struck Magneton, rocketing it into the ground and instantly defeating it. " _What…_ "

"Give it up, Niko," Diamond said as Arceus slowly descended back to the ground. "You won't defeat me."

"Yes, we will. Incineroar, I choose you!" Niko shouted, summoning the Heel Pokemon. "Use darkest lariat!"

"Arceus, judgment!" Diamond commanded.

"Charizard, use dragon tail!" Ash commanded.

Seeing this, Niko commanded Braviary use aerial ace as well. Both Pokemon charged viciously at Arceus, both unafraid of the fact that they were taking on a god in close combat. This was why he chose Braviary in the first place.

Diamond simply smirked and directed Arceus higher into the air before whipping out a yellow-colored plate and repeating the same move. Now, a burst of yellow-colored energy struck both of them, launching them into the ground, both paralyzed.

Niko shook his head. There was no way this was possible. _No way!_

"Tyranitar, use dark pulse!" Charlotte commanded, just as Cynthia's Spiritomb did the exact same thing. Both attacks jointly missed Arceus, who flew to the side before performing another judgment—of the same-colored plate as before—and firing it at then, blasting both Pokemon away.

Meanwhile, Emboar was locked in a hand-to-hand combat with the Toxicroak—and losing—while Electabuzz exchanged thunder punches for shadow punches. "Use thunderbolt!" Fay roared. Electabuzz leapt backwards and summoned a massive amount of electricity that managed to miss Gengar, who disappeared into the tundra momentarily. "Shit…where'd you go…?"

"Now!" Fenix spat. The ghost type reappeared behind Electabuzz and fired a sludge bomb at his back, causing the electric Pokemon to collapse forward. Fenix roared in cackled laughter, forcing Fay to return his Pokemon.

"Fine, you want this, then?" he said, holding out a second pokéball. "Typhlosion, I choose you!"

Leavanny narrowly dodged a sniped attack by a Mandibuzz before rolling off of the ground and slamming a leaf blade into the enemy Pokémon's back, thrusting it into the ground powerfully. Just as it turned around, it noticed a tall, chicken-shaped Pokemon spin and slam a flaming foot into a crobat.

"Woah…" Warren said, marveling at Brittany's Blaziken. "I've always been a fan of those. Well done!"

"Thanks," Brittany said with a kind smile. "Let's win this!" she shouted angrily, suddenly swapping her tones. Blastoise and Blaziken then turned back to the hordes of flying Pokemon, now being assisted by a force of dozens upon dozens of land-based Pokemon. "Oh, no…" she said, noticing Niko's Feraligatr stepping up next to her. "You ready for this, too?"

Feraligatr nodded eagerly, slamming his hands together authoritatively.

"That's the spirit," the brunette said, throwing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Ready everyone?"

Niko watched as Incineroar stumbled back onto his feet at the same time Tyranitar and Spiritomb began recovering from the onslaught of Arceus' judgment. Before they could act, Diamond took out another plate—this one bright blue. Recognizing a pattern, Niko quickly returned Incineroar and urged Ash and Charlotte to do the same.

"It's a water attack now!" he cried out. Catching onto this, Charlotte whipped out her pokéball just as a blast of pure blue-colored energy struck Mega Tyranitar, causing it to drop to the ground in defeat. In response, Niko summoned Venusaur and Serperior in place of Incineroar. "Frenzy plant and coil!" he commanded.

"Tyranitar, return," Charlotte said, catching onto a pattern now. Those plates indicated different types of attacks, and Diamond seemed to have all of them. _Having access to all types of elements seems fitting for the 'God of all Pokemon'_ , Charlotte thought to herself. "Ampharos, I choose you! Use dragon pulse!"

Niko turned to Ash, who sat there looking at an odd-looking pokéball. However, Niko recognized it. He owned one.

It was a Beast Ball.

"It's been awhile, but let's see if we can do this…" Niko heard Ash mutter quietly. "Naganadel! I choose you!"

Out of the Beast Ball erupted a large, purple-striped Pokemon with both draconic and insectoid features. Its top half was slender with thin arms and fuchsia-tipped claws. Both shoulders had grey spikes. Its purple wings each had a single fuchsia claw and darker purple membranes. At the end of its long was its head, which had a large spiked crest and grey face spikes that looked like mandibles. Its glowing cyan eyes—oddly enough, like Poipole's—were conjoined, giving the appearance of a visor. The lower half of its body was an abdomen that resembled a wasp's abdomen. Three grey spikes sat on the end of the abdomen, with the middle one being the largest and resembling a wasp's stinger.

"Naga…nadel…?" Niko said slowly as the massive Pokemon floated above them, staring down Arceus.

"Yep," Ash said calmly, although there was a hint of caution in his voice. "It's an Ultra Beast. You've heard of those, right?"

"Of course he has!" Charlotte shouted, "He owns one!"

"Oh?"

"Yep…a Poipole, actually," Niko said sheepishly.

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Really now…" the World Champion then turned and looked at Naganadel. "This is Poipole's evolved form. When we get out of this, I'd like to speak with you briefly."

Niko looked at Ash with a puzzled expression before realizing they were still in a battle for their lives. "Venusaur! Use petal dance!" he shouted. "Serperior, coil again!"

"Naganadel, use dragon pulse with Ampharos!" Ash commanded, just after watching Cynthia's Garchomp take a nasty hit from a purple-colored judgment. Arceus quickly changed colors to indicate the red plate Diamond used before firing a red energy beam downwards at them.

 _Fire type…_ Niko thought.

Looking around, he noticed Warren and Brittany were fending off the hordes of Pokemon under Arceus—and Diamond's—control. That was to his right. To his left he noticed Fay and Jake successfully teaming up against Saturn and Fenix. Directly next to him was Charlotte, issuing commands to Ampharos; Cynthia caressing her nearly defeated Garchomp; Ash commanding Naganadel with a caution he didn't think Ash possessed.

 _Wait_ , he thought. They were missing someone. But…who?

"JJ?" Niko said aloud. "JJ!?"

Charlotte immediately turned to Niko with a worried look. Where did the curly blonde man go to?

"He was just…with us…" Niko said, looking around desperately. It was hard to miss anyone in the sort of environment they were in. While the battle was going on, Niko ran around in search of JJ. _Where could he have gone without Diamond—or any of us—noticing?_ Niko shouted to himself, confused and worried. Suddenly the ground shook underneath him as Diamond and Arceus aimed an attack at them, one that he fortunately dodged.

"Get back here!" Diamond roared. "Niko! I will kill you!"

"That's a change of pace," Niko commented. "You were only casually okay with killing me earlier…" he continued running until, out of nowhere, a shadow ball flew past his head and towards Arceus, landing a direct hit. "What the—?"

Behind a hill was JJ, with six of his Pokemon beside him. Umbreon, Growlithe, Breloom, Togekiss, Beedrill, and Azumarill. They all walked up the rather small hill before proudly standing in front of Diamond and Arceus.

"Where…why…?" Niko asked, panting. He turned to see Braviary distracting Arceus alongside Naganadel and Charlotte's Noivern. "How…?"

It was easy. He got caught up in the battling and I managed to go underground using Umbreon's dig. Remember…that one move Eevee learned all the way back in Kanto?" JJ said with a smirk, petting the dark type Pokemon.

"You sly dog…" Niko said. He couldn't help but smiling.

He then heard a screech. Turning around, Braviary crashed powerfully into the ground next to Noivern. Naganadel managed to put up a fight but was also thrust backwards, this time towards Ash. Now, Diamond and Arceus turned their attention back to Niko, JJ, and the latter's Pokemon.

"Togekiss, use extremespeed! Umbreon, shadow ball! Breloom, sky uppercut! Azumarill, water pulse! Growlithe, flare blitz! Beedrill, pin missile!"

All six Pokemon fired off attacks, just as Venusaur used an extra stun spore on Arceus in hopes of further prolonging the effects of the attack.

"Thanks…" Niko said, turning to JJ.

"For what, buddy?" JJ asked, clearly preoccupied.

"For helping out."

"Of course, that's what friends are—"

" _DIE!_ " Diamond shouted. Arceus shot past each of JJ's Pokemon, sending them hurtling towards the ground at a speed Niko hardly seemed to notice.

However, JJ did. Niko was pushed off of the hill they were on and out of Arceus' path just as the Alpha Pokemon struck him.

"…"

"…"

"…"

Niko looked up the hill, seeing a motionless body laying there. And, flying high above, was Arceus and Ferdinand Diamond.

"No…"

* * *

 **Author's Note: The next episode was definitely one of the hardest ones for me to write, just a heads up.**

 **Despite how it ended, I still hope you enjoyed it. This arc will likely finish tomorrow, 6/22, so stay tuned.**


	7. The best friend

**Episode 7: The best friend**

"Manectric, mega evolve!" Celosia shouted as a massive, yellow-furred wolf charged at Wally and Gallade. Wally's Roserade had just been knocked to the side by the Mega Manectric, who was using a super-powered wild charge attack.

"G-Gallade…we have to mega evolve, too!" Wally shouted, shakily holding his mega pendant. _Niko wouldn't be afraid, so we can't be either!_ "GALLADE, MEGA EVOLVE!"

The paralyzed Gallade slowly got up, pushing his trainer to the side as he took Manectric's attack head-on, causing the both of them to blow through the side wall of the Pokemon Center. However, once the dust cleared, Mega Manectric was shot backwards by a glowing purple crescent-shaped blast of energy.

Mega Gallade stood up, getting into a battling position to take on Celosia and her partner Pokemon. Seeing this, Wally couldn't help but smile.

"Uh…Wally…!" Oliver shouted. "I need a little help here!" The green-haired trainer turned to see his friend in one of Drapion's claws, and his Greninja in the other. "I…I can't reach my pokéballs…agh!"

Drapion hissed at the afro-haired trainer, poison oozing from its fangs. Greninja struggled desperately to move but found it increasingly difficult.

It didn't take Wally much time to summon another Pokemon—his Heliolisk—to fight. However, before he issued an attack, the Ogre Scorpion Pokemon inched its claws closer together, tightening its grip on Oliver and Greninja. He felt stuck as well: if he tried attacking, Drapion would take the hit and then snap Oliver and Greninja in two, and if he didn't attack, he'd likely get hurt—or worse.

 _What would Niko do…?_ He asked himself. He truly had no idea what Niko would do. He desperately shook his head. _Niko isn't here, though! I am! I have to do this!_

Turns out, he didn't have to do anything, as pointed stones struck both of Drapion's arms and its back, causing it to drop its prey and fall forward, revealing a massive, orange-furred dog behind it.

"Great job, Ruffy!" Kaila said, petting the Pokemon who subsequently licked her face. "Oh, and hello!"

"Uh, hi," Oliver said as he stood back up. "Th-thanks for that."

"No problem! Just trying to protect my hometown. It's been a long time since anyone threatened Alola like this!"

"Trust me, that's a good thing…" Wally said, looking at the knocked-out Drapion. "What's your name, by the way?"

"I'm Kaila! And you…?"

"Wally. This is Oliver."

"Pleasure, Kaila," Oliver said, shaking the little girl's hand. "That's a mighty strong Pokemon you've got there. What is it?"

"This is Ruffy! He's a Lycanroc, Dusk Form!"

"Ruff!" Ruffy barked cheerfully up at Oliver, who leaned forward to pet him.

Meanwhile, Wally turned to see how Gallade was doing, only to find it paralyzed and on the ground. Celosia was slowly walking over to it, a long stick in her hand.

"All who get in our way will be punished…" she muttered angrily, looking back down at a similarly-exhausted Mega Manectric. She pressed a button on the stick, causing it to light up with electricity. "And you're first…"

"Water shuriken!"

"Parabolic charge!"

"Accelerock!"

All three Pokemon charged at Celosia. The water shuriken hit first, sending an electric jolt up and through Celosia's body just as the parabolic charge knocked her out. Finally, Ruffy zoomed past her, striking her briefly before using his speed to pick up Gallade by the arm and run back towards the three trainers standing near the doorway of the Pokemon Center.

"Great job, Ruffy!" Kaila repeated with just as much enthusiasm.

"Gallade…you alright buddy?" Wally said while petting Heliolisk in praise. The psychic type nodded before fainting.

"Is…is that it…?" Oliver said before realizing they were still surrounded by Team Revelation grunts.

"Nope, not it," Wally said, standing back up and returning Gallade and Roserade. He pulled out another pokéball as Oliver and Kaila did the same. "Swoobat!"

"Charizard!" Oliver said, promptly mega-evolving the Flame Pokemon as well.

"Ruffy! Ninetales!" Kaila commanded.

With the five Pokemon now surrounding the three trainers, the grunts all stood there, pokéballs at the ready. Then, Mega Charizard Y used blast burn on the Pokemon of the grunt closest to it—an Alolan Muk.

"Retreat!" the grunt said, swiftly returning its defeated Pokemon and running off. The others did the same, leaving Celosia behind in the rubble of the Pokemon Center's wall.

"Uh…" Oliver said, clearly at a loss for words.

"Congrats, man," Wally said as the rest of the allies began to clap their hands. Wally noticed Sydney and Maizie run up to them as well.

"Great job, guys!" Maizie said, specifically turning to Kaila. "Niko and Charlotte will be proud of you!"

"Wait…" Wally and Oliver said, looking at one another and then at Kaila. "You know Niko?"

* * *

The world around him seemed like a blur. He felt nauseous and confused. His head was ringing in pain.

None of that seemed to matter as he struggled to stand up. All that mattered was the body laying directly in front of him on the side of the hill. Quickly, he limped over to JJ, noticing the bashed head, dislocated shoulder, and gash marks all along the right side of his body.

This wasn't happening. No, this was only a dream. JJ wasn't dead—he couldn't be.

"JJ…?" Niko asked quietly. "JJ, hey buddy, wake up…" he said, shaking the curly blonde, albeit weakly. "Wake up, JJ! Wake up!"

"He's dead, Niko," Diamond said calmly and with authority. "Get over it."

"He's not dead! He's not!" Niko said desperately, now shaking his friend even more aggressively. He felt tears run down his face. It seemed his body had caught up to reality quicker than he had.

"BLAST BURN!" Fay and Jake jointly shouted.

"DEVASTATING DRAKE!" Ash commanded, summoning a Z-move for Naganadel.

"AURA SPHERE!" Cynthia roared as her Togekiss fired the blue ball of energy.

"Judgment."

All of the attacks were absorbed into a massive beam of energy that Arceus used to fire directly at Niko. Before he knew it, he and JJ were rolling to the ground after being pushed aside by Niko's Braviary and Charlotte's Noivern, with the former taking the hit and the latter briefly dragging them on the ground before lifting them into the air to take them behind Charlotte, Cynthia, and Ash.

Niko clung to JJ as soon as they landed back on the ground. He couldn't help himself—he wasn't going to let go.

"No…no… _no_ …" Niko kept saying. "JJ…please wake up… _please_!"

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" Fay roared as he and Charizard stepped towards Arceus. "YOU DON'T KILL!"

"Oh, yes I do. I said that earlier," Diamond explained.

"You'll pay for this…" Brittany, who had just noticed what happened, said as she seethed. "He was our friend."

"And? Friends die every day. People die every day. That's how life goes," Diamond said. "And, well, you'll soon get to join your friend. So…why care?"

"That's the difference," Ash said, also seething. "We're not going to die."

"Oh, yes you will. Arceus, extremespeed!"

The Alpha Pokemon shot downwards towards Niko, Charlotte, and JJ. However, the god-like monster quickly found itself running directly into a wall of spiked roots, knocking it backwards through the air. It took Diamond a moment to reorient himself and Arceus, but when they did they looked back down, just as a flurry of petals struck them.

"What the—?" Diamond shouted, shooing away the pink petals. "What's going—?"

Venusaur stood there, visibly furious.

"Oh, it's you. Niko's Pokemon, right?" Diamond said. "Apparently his first."

"You…" Niko said, his voice choking and cracking. "Don't know…who you're messing with…"

He finally stood up, albeit weakly, before glaring up at Ferdinand Diamond with a look of pure hate in his eyes. If there was ever a moment for Niko to feel angry, it was this moment.

"Ah, now there's the passion!" Diamond shouted victoriously, as if having won a prize.

"There's no…passion…in grieving…" Niko said, slowly moving forward. Eventually, Venusaur joined by his side. "There's also no passion in killing. Only in living."

Charlotte noticed Niko's Z-ring and mega pendant were glowing a similarly bright green color. Just as quickly, Venusaur mega evolved as the two slowly made their way towards Diamond and Arceus, just above the hill JJ was slain on.

All the while, images and voices clouded Niko's head. Overwhelmed by the thoughts, he collapsed onto his knees, screaming the entire time as if being tortured…

 _"Hey Niko!" Fay said excitedly. "You remember JJ, right?" he nodded._

 _"Yeah, hey JJ. How are you doing?" Niko asked, shaking his hand as if they were meeting for the first time._

 _"Doing great Niko. Ready to get my first Pokémon!"_

 _…_

 _"I just think maybe I'm not destined to compete in the Pokémon league. Maybe I should try something else instead," JJ said, standing up to face his friends._

 _"I won't give up on being a trainer. I still want to travel with you guys and see the world and meet new Pokémon. I want to keep training and be on this adventure with both of you," JJ said with resolve. Niko got up and patted him on the shoulder._

 _"We would love to have you come with us," Niko said with a warm smile. "You're our friend, and we will make sure that you be the best trainer that you can possibly be!"_

 _"And we'll find you a new goal. Together," Fay said, patting JJ's other shoulder. Eevee and Kakuna cheered as well as the five came together in a group hug._

 _…_

 _"Do you know what your dream is?" Maizie asked him._

 _"Well, I don't really know. I know that sounds kinda crappy, not having any goal in mind."_

 _"How about I help you, then?" Maizie said._

 _…_

 _"So…JJ…" Niko said, "You like Maizie, don't you?"_

 _"I-I-I!" JJ stammered, "…yeah, guess I do."_

 _"It's so obvious dude," Fay added._

 _"Is it really?" JJ asked, a little panicked. His friends all nodded vigorously. "Well, dammit, yeah I do. We had such a great time. And…I think I know what I want to do…what my goal is going to be."_

 _"What's that, JJ?" Niko asked, intrigued._

 _"I'm going to be a Pokémon breeder."_

 _…_

 _JJ and Maizie both stood up, looked each other in the eyes, and embraced once again. As JJ was about to leave, Maizie grabbed his backpack, pulled him around, and kissed him, leaving both Brittany and Kurt dumbstruck._

 _"Yeah. I got the goodbye that I wanted," JJ said, smiling slightly._

 _"Maizie kissed JJ!" Brittany yelped out._

 _"Hey!" JJ exclaimed. "You promised you wouldn't say anything!" Niko and Fay roared in laughter at this as JJ slapped Brittany's shoulder._

 _…_

 _"Hey, Brittany!" JJ said, startling the brunette more than he expected to._

 _"JJ! What the hell are you doing here!?" Brittany yelled out, almost angrily._

 _"I'm here to help you out. I signed up in this contest too!" JJ said, patting his friend on the back. Brittany tried to move her shoulder away but failed to do so._

 _"I don't think that'll help…I'm already nervous enough as it is…"_

 _"Brittany, you're going to be fine! You've got me, and Niko, and Jake cheering you on. And your Pokémon won't fail you. I know that for a fact!"_

 _"I hope you're right…" Brittany said, looking concerned as she watched the host begin the contest._

 _…_

 _"JJ, keep attacking magneton!" Niko shouted._

 _"What do you think I'm DOING?" JJ shouted back angrily._

 _"Stop yelling, JJ, it's not necessary," Niko said, also angrily. "Electrike, use quick attack!"_

 _…_

 _"Alright, JJ," Niko said quietly, turning to his friend. "You attack magneton, I'll get Loudred. Does that sound fine to you?"_

 _"Yeah, sure. And, Niko…sorry for yelling at you. Wasn't right, we should have communicated better."_

 _"Completely agree," Niko said, holding his hand out. JJ clasped it._

 _…_

 _"Look out there, Niko!" JJ said, lifting his friend's head and pointing to the Pokémon running around. "You did that! All of those badges you've gotten, all of those leagues you've participated in. That was because of you! You've helped raise Pokémon up from good and bad circumstances! You've made friendships that will last a lifetime! How are you not a great trainer?"_

 _"Hunter's right, though."_

 _"Screw Hunter!" JJ snapped._

 _"No, he's right. I couldn't beat him, and I couldn't beat Palmer. I used the best Pokémon for the situation, and I lost. You can't see me forfeit and still call me a great trainer."_

 _"But you are, Niko." JJ said quietly. "You've inspired me."_

 _"No, I haven't."_

 _"But you have! Remember when I lost to Brock? I wanted to quit being a Pokémon trainer. But I loved being around you and Fay so much, and loved seeing the world so much, that I wanted to suck it up and continue on. I didn't challenge gyms like you did, but I found my calling. I found a woman that I want to be with. I've seen and met people and Pokémon that I never thought I would. And it's all because of you!" JJ said. "You're a constant inspiration to me and everyone around you. I've always believed you to be one of the strongest trainers I know. And with the Pokémon that you have, you can be the greatest trainer in the world!"_

 _"But I'm not, JJ. How can you not see that?" Niko said, clearly irritated. "How—why should I continue?"_

 _"You should continue because that's the only way you'll get better!" JJ said. "When you lost at Indigo Plateau, you wanted to give up then, but you didn't. When you lost to Elliot, and Melinda, and even Hunter, you didn't give up! That's what I admire about you. That's what Brittany, and Fay, and Lauren, and Jake, and your parents admire about you!"_

 _…_

 _JJ turned towards a cab nearby. "Yup. Sorry for the short notice," he held out his hand. "Pokémon Master."_

 _"Heh. Breeding…master?" Niko asked. It sounded weird the more he said it._

 _"I have no idea what that title would be, but sure. Breeding master," JJ said, pulling Niko for a hug. "I'm very proud of you, man. You've come a long way."_

 _"It's because I had such great friends to help me along the way," Niko said. JJ let go and looked up at Niko, his curly blonde hair lightly shaking in the wind._

 _…_

 _"Umbreon's gonna be a father," JJ said excitedly. "Hard to believe, right? My first Pokémon ever…is now going to have his own child."_

 _"That's incredible, JJ!" Niko said, petting Umbreon. "JJ, all of this…wow," Niko said. "I'm shocked."_

 _"That the bumbling friend of yours finally staked his claim in the world?" JJ said with a wry smile. "Trust me, so am I," he said as he side-hugged Maizie. "I would've never thought that I could end up here, of all places. Oh, by the way, Niko," JJ said, turning to Maizie and nodding. She ran off, much to everyone's confusion. "I've got something for you. It's just a little something, I guess as a way to say thanks for everything you've done for me."_

 _Maizie then showed back up a minute later with an egg. She handed it to Niko._

 _"What the—"_

 _"It's an egg that my Umbreon fathered. The one you saw earlier today. It's yours."_

 _"JJ, I don't know—"_

 _"Just don't say anything, buddy. I know you'll take good care of it."_

 _Niko blinked for a moment as he looked at the cream brown egg in his arms._

 _"I—we," JJ began, bringing Maizie under his arm, "also have another announcement to make."_

 _"What's that?" Niko, Charlotte, and Warren all asked._

 _"We're, uh, going to be parents."_

"Niko!" Charlotte shouted as she ran towards Niko, who had been screaming for nearly a minute. Venusaur was trying to console him, doing his best. By now, all of JJ's Pokemon were removed from their emotional paralysis and were now next to Niko as well, trying their best to get him back on his feet. "Niko!"

Warren made steps to move, but Brittany stopped him, holding her hand out in front of him. "Wait, something's happening," she noted as Niko began to glow a light green color. JJ's Pokemon were also glowing, but only for a short amount of time until they approached Niko. When they got close enough, their aura disappeared as his started to glow brighter.

By the time Charlotte reached her boyfriend, he was standing upright, and the light green aura surrounding him disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared.

"You done with your temper tantrum?" Diamond scoffed.

"You…killed…him," Niko said quietly, still looking at the ground. His fists were clenched. The Z-ring and Venusaurite still glowing and vibrating softly. "You… _killed…HIM!_ "

Niko then exploded with energy, knocking Charlotte and JJ's Pokemon backwards.

"Oh?" Diamond said, an eyebrow raised. He re-positioned himself on Arceus, now curious as to what was happening to his opponent. "This should be interesting."

"You'll…you'll pay for this—VENUSAUR!" Niko roared as the Seed Pokemon powerfully stepped forward in front of his trainer. Niko's Z-ring exploded, only to be replaced by a green ring with an elongated green Z-crystal positioned in the middle. "FRANTIC BLOOM DOOM!"

Venusaur's eyes started to glow bright green as he roared out, summoning several beams of green light down from the heavens, destroying everything around them. Arceus, now nervous itself, shot into the air and swerved in and out of each one before getting hit by one of them and losing control of its movements. Suddenly, a spiked root shot from the ground and slapped Arceus' underbelly before a second one hit the Alpha Pokemon across the face, forcing it into the ground. In the chaos, Diamond fell off of the Pokemon, the Azure Flute rolling out of his pocket.

The attack continued as Arceus shot back into the air to dodge the onslaught of solar beams and frenzy plants aimed directly at it. Feraligatr summoned a whirlpool and threw it high into the air, catching a panicked Arceus and causing it to spin around aggressively before being thrown into an oncoming beam of energy. He then picked Serperior up and threw her high into the air, where she wrapped herself around Arceus before slapping it with a powerful leaf blade. Promptly, she unwrapped herself and leapt towards the ground just as the final beam of solar energy struck Arceus' back, rocketing it into the ground with a massive _thud_. A cloud of dust erupted everywhere, engulfing the entire area in dirt for half a minute.

When the dust settled, Niko lay on the ground, unconscious, with Venusaur passed out next to him. JJ's Pokemon all gathered around their fallen trainer.

Everyone was silent, save for the handcuffing of a barely-conscious Ferdinand Diamond by Cynthia and Ash.

Brittany, Warren, Jake, Fay, and Charlotte all returned their exhausted Pokemon after also handcuffing Saturn and Fenix, which seemed like more of a task then it should have been. It took all five of them to successfully handcuff the wily Fenix, who was not opposed to scratching and biting anyone that got within a reasonable distance.

"Now, what do we do about Arceus?" Charlotte asked, pointing to the defeated Alpha Pokemon.

"I…I don't know," Cynthia said. She was unsure of a lot of things at the moment. "I really don't know."

"We need to get out of here, I think," Ash said. "All of us," he looked directly at Niko, who lay face-first in the ground.

"Agreed," Cynthia replied, walking over to return Venusaur to his pokéball. "Fay and Jake helped pick Niko up, while Warren and Ash got JJ's body as well as his Pokemon. Within half an hour, they were off the ground and en route to Hau'oli City.

* * *

Wally and Oliver were celebrating their victory while also helping to fix the Pokemon Center. It was now sunset, and they had spent the past few hours working with local contractors to fix the broken wall that Gallade and Manectric had burst through. They also helped to fix the broken tables and machines that Team Revelation had hacked at while they were invading the center.

"For a group that doesn't like killing, you'd think they'd also care about avoiding property damage, too," Wally said as he finished fixing a chair.

"They blew up the Aether Foundation, what do you expect?" Oliver said. Just then, they heard a massive whirring of rotors outside. Turning, he saw a crowd quickly develop as the aircraft carrying their friends landed. "They're…back…?"

"Either they defeated Arceus or they retreated?" Wally replied.

"Wait…Niko's on that?" Kaila asked with childish curiosity. When Wally and Oliver nodded, she jumped for joy. "Yay! Niko's here!"

Her spirits were quickly broken when Cynthia and Ash quickly charged past them with an unconscious Niko in their arms. Charlotte, Fay, and Warren were shoving Diamond, Saturn, and Fenix off of the aircraft and towards authorities gathered outside of the Pokemon Center. Behind them was Brittany and Jake with a motionless person in their arms.

Kaila's spirits suddenly felt like they got aggressively punched in the face.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Y'all definitely read this correctly. This is no joke-JJ was killed off. That wall of italicized text? That was me going back through the entire story and trying to pick out notable "JJ moments" that I could remember off the top of my head. The original list of moments was roughly three times the size of what I eventually settled on (aka what you see in this episode). I wanted to do a montage of JJ's points of development, for obvious reasons.**

 **Let me know what you all think. And I don't just mean about the death-about the arc so far as a whole. I'll probably ask this in the next episode-the finale for the "World Crisis" arc, but give me your general impressions of it all! It was difficult for me to write since it deviated so much from the established formula of this fanfic (just like the next arc will, too!), and so I'm geniunely curious to hear what you all have to say.**

 **Thanks, and I hope you enjoyed this episode (to the degree that anyone can...or should).**


	8. The funeral

**Episode 8: The funeral**

"How's he doing?" Warren asked Charlotte, who was sitting outside of the Pokemon Center's emergency room. Next to him was Kaila, who stood nervously as she angled her head towards the window where Niko lay unconscious.

"He's…fine. At least, that's what I've been told," Charlotte said, a worried look on her face. Everything about that battle with Ferdinand Diamond and Arceus was a blur to her; she was still trying to process everything. It didn't help that, for virtually everyone else, she suddenly became the point-person for all concerns related to Niko and—by association—JJ as well.

The worst part of it all was having to tell Maizie about all of this. Charlotte, along with Cynthia and Ash, had to explain to an already distraught Maizie why JJ wasn't breathing. They had to explain the sudden death of the father of her newborn. _That_ was the worst of it—so far. Charlotte knew that, once Niko woke up, she would have to be there for him the entire time.

"I don't even know where to begin…" she finally admitted once her friends sat down. "Where do we go from here? How do I help Niko cope with all of this? I mean, you saw how he reacted Warren."

Warren nodded. "Yeah…we actually need to talk about that. Niko…something weird happened to him," he said, as if explaining this to Kaila. "Like, he started to glow, and then Venusaur started to glow, and then he yelled some kind of Z-move."

"Did you notice his Z-ring?" Charlotte asked. "It turned green."

"What? No…I didn't see that," Warren said, clearly caught off guard. "Whatever it was, it managed to take down Arceus."

"Niko took down Arceus!?" Kaila shouted. "Woah…" she said with childlike fascination. "That's amazing! He's so strong!"

Charlotte nodded. "Yeah, he definitely is."

Later on, Charlotte went to grab something to eat. As soon as she stood up, her legs buckled, and she nearly collapsed again. Her legs were more exhausted than she was, it seemed. Once she finally managed to stand up, she took one last look at Niko through the window and walked off down the hall and towards the main lobby on her way to the dining hall.

It had only been a couple of hours, but the Pokemon Center in Hau'oli City was close to being fully rebuilt after the rest of Team Revelation attacked. Authorities were interviewing trainers like Wally and Oliver while the Champions convened with Cynthia, Hau, and Ash around a corner booth to discuss something of importance. If Charlotte had to guess, it was likely how they would punish Diamond and Team Revelation, as well as what to do about Arceus.

She sat down at a nearby booth—alone—and overheard some of their conversation.

"…what exactly happened to Arceus?" she heard Hau ask.

"The Pokemon was unconscious by the time we left."

"So you just let it be!?" Lance shouted. "A monster that strong…and you let it go!?"

"Yes," Cynthia said in her trademark calmness, "Diamond admitted to controlling Arceus using the Azure Flute. The exact reasons are as of now unknown, but we assume that once Niko defeated Arceus and knocked it out, that the effects of the Flute would be rendered useless. Plus, we believe the Flute to be damaged in some way, but as we have no current image of its original design, we cannot know that for sure. Over the coming days we will figure out the proper course of action as it relates to Arceus."

There was silence at the table for several seemingly long moments.

"And what about Niko? How did he manage to defeat Arceus?" Hau asked. "You said he used some power unknown to you."

"Yeah," Ash said, taking the question, "after his friend was killed, he lost control of his emotions. It seemed like he was so consumed by grief and anger that, somehow, his emotional energy manifested itself in his Z-ring. JJ's Pokemon first started to glow, and then Niko, and then Niko's Venusaur just around the time his Z-ring changed color—"

"Wait…what?" Hau interrupted.

"It turned to a green color, and the Z-crystal was long and green as well. Venusaur's eyes began to glow, and Niko shouted a move that I've never heard of."

"What was it?"

"Err…Frantic Bloom Doom…?"

More silence.

"I've never heard of that, so how would Niko have known?"

"Did he make up a new move, possibly?" Alder asked.

"It is possible," Hau said, "but that's not what confuses me. It's the Z-ring and Z-crystal. There are only two types of Z-rings—one is white, like what Niko has, and the other is Black, like Ash's or mine. We need to talk to Niko when he wakes up, whenever that is."

Charlotte spun around in her booth. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Huh?"

"We don't know what Niko will be like when he wakes up. He just lost one of his closest friends. None of us can begin to imagine how that feels. I know I can't. So…just be careful, I guess."

Hau glared at Charlotte for a moment before nodding. "Noted, thank you."

Charlotte turned back in her booth and continued eating. After a while she found herself force feeding herself and had to stop. She wasn't as hungry as she thought. Instead, she put her face in her hands and sat there, remembering the trip back home from the tundra.

It was silent for much of their trip. Niko was unconscious, JJ dead. Everyone else—Cynthia, Ash, Jake, Brittany, Warren, and Fay—didn't seem to want to talk. Cynthia and Ash quietly chatted about how to deal with Diamond and Arceus, but that was largely it. Charlotte did everything she could to hold back tears, eventually taking short, calm breaths of air to calm herself.

She then felt the calm touch of Warren's hand on her shoulder. Turning and looking up, he sat there next to her, looking down at her with his brown eyes. "We're going to be okay."

Charlotte didn't know what to think about it. Obviously, Warren was correct in a way—there was no existential threat anymore. However, that wasn't what worried her: it was the longer-term emotional and mental impact it would have on everyone involve, particularly on people like Niko, Fay, Brittany, and Maizie.

"I hope so…"

She looked up from her table, only to find Brittany and Fay sitting across from her. Composing herself, she looked up in as normal of a way as possible.

"How're you both doing?" she asked, her voice cracking a little.

"Could be better, that's for sure," Fay said. Charlotte could tell he had been crying, but also that he was trying to hide it under a pair of tinted glasses. "It's hard to believe he's gone."

"I can't imagine how it must feel…" Charlotte said, looking down at her unfinished lunch. "Guys…I don't know what to do about Niko when he wakes up. I know this sounds very selfish, but…do you have any ideas?"

Brittany was the first to answer, "it's fine. We're all trying to help each other grieve. I once read that there are a few things we should and shouldn't do. What we need to do is help them out, not ask if they need help. I'm sure there are more."

Charlotte nodded. Those made sense. "Thanks. I'm just confused and worried."

"I know. So are we. This all happened so fast. Obviously, no one expected anyone to die."

"Any idea on how Maizie is doing?"

"She's…definitely a wreck," Fay said with a sigh. "We're all giving her the space that she needs right now. Just earlier, though, Brittany helped to feed Valerie, and we're gonna continue helping with the kid for the next several days."

"If there's any way that I can help, please tell me," she said seriously. Fay nodded in response. "Do you know how the Pokemon are holding up?" she asked in response to the six Pokemon JJ had brought with him.

"They're with JJ's body right now, actually. Niko's Vaporeon is also with them, as JJ was technically her first owner."

Charlotte looked to her right and into the small crowd of people either socializing or rebuilding the lobby, only to see Oliver, Wally, and Jake talking. She then noticed Warren appear from down the hallway, in the direction of the emergency room. "Warren…? What's going on? Is Niko okay?"

"Yeah, he's still fine. And still asleep. I figured I'd just see where you went off to," he said, taking a seat next to his brunette friend. "How're you two doing?"

Brittany and Fay repeated their answers, and a long silence followed. It was clear no one knew what to say—a common theme at the moment. For nearly an hour, no one said anything else and, after a while, they all left for their sleeping quarters to retire for the evening.

* * *

Niko woke up in relative darkness. There was only one light on in the emergency room. It took him several minutes to figure out where he was, and he felt an incredible ache once he did.

 _I'm…in an emergency room in a Pokemon Center…somewhere_ , he thought to himself. _And…and…he's gone. JJ is gone. And Arceus…Arceus was defeated_.

He tried to get out of his bed, only to stumble and nearly hit his head on the monitor to his right. After orienting himself, he took another look around before making his way to the door, which automatically opened when he was a couple of feet away. Then everything brightened up significantly, as the hallway lights were still on, for some reason.

After adjusting his eyes to the new world around him, he immediately saw a person much shorter than he run up to him and hug him. Looking down, he saw Charlotte standing there, her head buried in his body.

"Hi…" Niko said without emotion. "Uh…how're you?"

"F-fine," Charlotte looked up. "How are _you_?"

"I don't know."

Before he knew it, a small crowd of people had formed around him—Warren, Jake, Brittany, Oliver, Wally, and even Fay. All of whom curious as to his condition.

"Well, we won," Jake finally said. "You beat Arceus."

"I guess so," Niko said, "I'm not sure how, though."

"What's the last thing that you remember?" Fay asked.

"Um…I was screaming something, and then Arceus was hit with these solarbeams, and then I fell to the ground. That's it," that reminded him to check his wrist. "Where's my Z-ring? And…my Key Stone?"

"Ash and Cynthia took them," Fay explained. "You…you did some crazy stuff back there."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, your Z-ring…it turned green. Like, _pure_ green. Not glowing—the entire thing just changed color. And you were glowing. So was Venusaur."

Niko blinked. He didn't remember any of this. "Everything is still a blur to me. I told you all that I actually remember."

"Oh I believe you. That's just what we saw."

"Where are Ash and Cynthia?"

Fay pointed down the hall. "First door on the left."

Niko nodded and began to walk—more like limping, as his right leg was still aching. He needed answers and, more importantly, he needed a distraction. He couldn't think about JJ.

He couldn't think…

Niko stopped, leaning against the wall, and crying. It just happened, he didn't even try to. Like it was an automatic response.

Down the hall behind him, Charlotte and the others stood there, unsure of what to do. Eventually, Brittany walked up to him, pulled him off of the wall, and hugged him. They stood there for several minutes before he let go.

"I miss him, too," Brittany said, looking directly at Niko. "More than anyone else can imagine."

Niko didn't say anything in response, and just walked into the room.

As soon as he entered, Ash looked up with a look of complete surprise. "Oh, Niko! Nice to see you! Sit down," he said, motioning to a small chair to his left. He and Cynthia were sitting across from one another, a circular wooden table in between them. In the center of the table was a white Z-ring and Niko's Key Stone and pendant, amidst some laptops and books. "How're you feeling?"

"Fine. You?" Niko said, glaring at Ash with a pair of exhausted eyes.

"I'm okay. Look, if you're not in the right mindset to talk—"

"I am."

Ash blinked, "okay then. Well, what you did to defeat Arceus was unheard of. Cynthia and I have been looking at your Z-ring and Key Stone for some time, trying to figure out what exactly happened to you in that moment."

"Fay already described it to me…sort of. I don't understand it either."

"What do you remember?" Cynthia asked calmly. Niko explained it to her. "Ah, so nothing new then. I figured as much. If you don't mind me asking, _how_ did you feel?"

Niko hadn't thought about it. Everything was a blur to him in that moment. "I guess…denial, maybe? Anger, hatred, those sorts of feelings. I wanted to harm Diamond in any way that I could. And…I felt Venusaur's anger, too. I felt JJ's Pokémon's anger. For whatever reason, I felt in sync with all of them."

Cynthia and Ash looked at one another, and then back at Niko. "That's…very odd."

"What?"

"It's like a bond phenomenon, but with more than one Pokemon," Ash explained. "Do you know what I mean by that?"

"Bond phenomenon? Yeah, I have something similar to that with mega evolution," Niko said, further explaining the condition he discovered in Lumiose city to Ash. "So…do you think there's some connection there?"

"Possibly," Cynthia said quietly, clearly deep in thought. "Although I'm not entirely sure how you managed it. Maybe your intense emotions about JJ's death—along with those of his Pokemon—manifested themselves in a sort of energy compatible with both Mega and Z energy?"

"Sort of like a super bond phenomenon?" Ash proposed. Niko and Cynthia turned to him with confusion, but ultimately nodded.

"Let's call it that for now. Niko, I'm sure your mind is running in a million different directions right now, so let's end this discussion here. I'll look more into it, and let you know if I discover anything else."

Niko nodded. "Thank you, Cynthia. For everything."

"Oh, I should be thanking you. You have the thanks of a very grateful planet. And, well, of myself as well," she stood up with Niko and embraced him warmly. Niko, caught off guard, took a moment to return the gesture. "Now, if you need anything please reach out to me."

As Niko was about to leave, Ash caught him in the doorway. "When you're ready, I'd like to talk to you privately."

"Sure," Niko said, smiling on his way out—for the first time in days.

* * *

"He hasn't said much since his talk with Cynthia and Ash," Jake said from afar as he, Brittany, and Fay watched their friend sit at a booth with Charlotte, Warren, and Sydney. It had been several hours since Niko had woken up, and it was late in the evening. For whatever reason, most people were still up, with the exception of Maizie and Valerie, both asleep from mental and emotional exhaustion. "I wonder what's going on in his head."

"I wouldn't worry about it," Brittany said gently. "We're all feeling it. I think he feels an extra burden since he was right next to JJ when it happened."

"Have they set a date for the funeral?" Fay asked.

"Yeah. It's in four days and will be held in Pallet Town."

"Fitting location," Fay said simply.

Meanwhile, over at the table, Niko slowly and silently ate his food. The images of those finals moments with JJ ran through his head, repeating constantly:

 _"Togekiss, use extremespeed! Umbreon, shadow ball! Breloom, sky uppercut! Azumarill, water pulse! Growlithe, flare blitz! Beedrill, pin missile!"_

 _"Thanks…" Niko said, turning to JJ._

 _"For what, buddy?" JJ asked, clearly preoccupied._

 _"For helping out."_

 _"Of course, that's what friends are—"_

 _"DIE!" Diamond shouted._

Then, as usual, tears of grief ran down his face.

And, as usual, he felt Charlotte's kind hand around his shoulders, and her head near his, as he wept.

"I…I could've stopped this f-from happening…" Niko muttered. "I—I could've s-saved him…"

"Niko…" Warren began, only to be interrupted.

"What?" Niko said, his red eyes and tear-stained face glaring up at Warren. "What're you gonna say? That I couldn't have? That I was powerless?"

"Well, err—"

"Then say it!" Niko snapped. "Don't be a coward, SAY IT!"

"Niko, it's okay."

"No, it's not, Charlotte!" Niko said, shoving Charlotte off of him. "I stopped Diamond, I defeated Arceus! I could have saved JJ! But I didn't! I was stupid!" he was now banging his fists on the table before letting his head droop close to the table's surface, tears splattering everywhere. "I…I wasn't strong enough…I wasn't quick enough."

"You're plenty strong, and plenty fast…" Charlotte said, trying to caress his back. "These are things that we can't see coming. They just…"

"Happen!? Yeah, I fucking know that!" Niko shouted back. "I know there's nothing I can do now, I'm not a dumbass!"

"But you said—"

"I _know_ what I said, Charlotte! All I'm saying, if you're even paying attention, is that I could've done something if I had known!"

Everyone was silent now. The entire Pokemon Center heard his tantrum, and no one dared speak to him.

Niko then got up and left the dining hall for the main lobby, so he could get to an empty room and be alone. He certainly got it, as Charlotte was the only one who joined him that night, and even she said nothing. All that she did was sleep beside him. Or try to, at least.

The following few days were difficult for everyone. Much of it was cleaning up parts of Hau'oli City damaged by Team Revelation. Unbeknownst to Oliver and Wally, the Champions had taken out some of the grunts in the streets, suggesting that the battle was far larger than they had known. Two days after Niko woke up, everyone prepared to head back to Pallet Town to attend JJ's funeral.

It took Niko ages to pack, despite not having much. It had been a long time since his last visit there. A lot had changed in that time—the trials in Alola, the Lanakila Conference, his brief trip back to Sinnoh, and the World Crisis. He wasn't quite sure how to feel when he got back. Also weighing on him was a new task assigned to him, by Maizie of all people.

He was to deliver JJ's eulogy.

* * *

"Ready?" Charlotte asked the morning of the funeral. They were in Niko's room, and he was putting on a black tie—the same black tie he was supposed to wear to his father's funeral. Niko turned to her, seeing the black dress she was wearing.

"Yeah, I'm ready."

They walked down the stairs to see Daisy, Jake, Brittany, Fay, Warren, and Sydney all sitting in the living room. Niko then went outside to summon a couple of his Pokemon to join him.

"You're bringing who?" Charlotte asked as she walked with him to the backyard.

"You'll see," Niko said, shouting two names before grabbing the pokéballs for said creatures.

It didn't take long to get to the funeral home, where Niko would deliver the eulogy. They had arrived early, only seeing Maizie and Valerie there, sitting in the front. The casket sat in the back of the building, containing JJ's lifeless body. Niko and his friends all sat up in the first two rows alongside JJ's family.

As each person showed up, one-by-one, Niko felt a creeping anxiety. On the plane back from Alola, he had written up a speech. It was far more difficult than he had imagined, and he needed help constructing it after a while with the help of Charlotte, Fay, and Brittany. Together, they put together something that they felt would honor him well.

Eventually, a priest stood up and said a brief prayer before motioning to Niko.

It was his turn.

Niko stood up, took one look at Charlotte, and then at Maizie, and walked up to the center of the room and behind a podium. In front of him was the casket. He took one look at it and choked.

"U-um…hi, everyone. My name is, uh, Niko…" he said before holding his fist to his mouth as if holding something in. "A-and I'm a friend of Jeremy's. Uh…um…"

Niko started to panic. He had no idea what to do. He looked at his script and his mind shut down. He couldn't think! There was silence for several long moments, nearing a couple of minutes, before Niko began again.

"Sorry. I choked up," he said. "I was with JJ the moment he died. He…he was murdered. Murdered for standing up to an evil, corrupt man, with malintent. And, well, that's the perfect description of him.

"I've known JJ for a long time. I've travelled the world with him. I've seen the man that he is, and I can tell you all, without a doubt in my mind and my heart, that he is the kindest man that I have ever known!

"When I decided to go on my Pokemon journey, nearly seven years ago, he up and joined me and Fay at the last minute. Admittedly, we weren't too stoked about this, but we let it slide. And, let me tell you, it was the best decision we have ever made.

"Back then, I didn't know what I wanted to do, but JJ helped me through it, no matter what. He trained with me, talked with me, helped me get through any problem that was on my mind. We fought gangs and evil organizations. We've taken on gym leaders and shitty rivals on more occasions than I would like to count. And every step of the way, he was there. He believed in me. He never let me down, because _that_ was the kind of man that he was.

"But I did. I quit a couple years back. I left him and my other friends. But still, he never gave up on me. He went to my Pokemon Leagues, all the while making a life for himself and his girlfriend, Maizie—a woman that he loved more than life itself. He never gave up on her, and he was going to make life for his daughter, Valerie, better than his own. He was going to make her a champion, and that will be his legacy for her, because _that_ was the kind of man that he was."

Niko looked down at Maizie, Valerie, and JJ's Pokemon.

"He had a deep love for Pokemon, and it shows in the nearly dozen or so sitting in front of me. It shows in one of my own Pokemon—my Vaporeon—who is the daughter of his first Pokemon, an Umbreon. He knew that he was never going to be a competitive trainer like me or even Fay. He knew he would never be a coordinator like Brittany or Lauren. He wanted to make his own mark on the world and become a breeder. To help raise and take care of Pokemon who needed it. To help get Pokemon to trainers who will do the same. Because _that_ is the kind of man that he was.

"JJ isn't here anymore, but part of him lives in me. He's one of my best friends, and I can't honestly say that my life would have been any better without him. The bumbling idiot that I grew up with became the ideal man that I want to strive to be."

Niko looked down at the casket, tears now running down his face. Finding the finals words of his eulogy was the hardest thing he had ever had to do.

"I'll miss you, buddy."

* * *

"You did great, Niko," Warren said as he pat Niko on the back. They had just buried JJ in the ground when the crowd of them began to disperse leaving Niko, his friends, his family, and Ash behind.

"You really did," Ash said, Pikachu on his shoulder.

"Venus," Venusaur said solemnly as he stood next to his trainer. Vaporeon—the only other Pokemon Niko brought with him to the funeral—stood at the grave with Umbreon and the other Pokemon.

There was silence before Niko turned to Ash.

"You wanted to talk?"

Ash, taken aback, nodded. "Yeah, there's something I wanted to propose to you, if you don't mind that is."

Surrounded by his friends, all of whom were now curious, Niko nodded. "I don't mind. What's up?"

"Do you remember me mentioning the World Tournament to you earlier?" Niko nodded again. "Well, it's held every seven years or so. And the last one was held…seven years ago. The next one will be in a month's time, after many of the Pokemon leagues have finished up. I want to invite you to enter."

Niko blinked. "Wait…what? You want _me_ to enter the Pokemon World Tournament?"

"The winner of that is declared the…World Champion…" Charlotte said, awestruck. "And…you're…"

"The reigning Champion, yes," Ash said. "I've held it for fourteen years now, and fully intend on competing myself. But the rules for me are a little different. I'll get to that later. Niko…are you in?"

"Why me? Aren't there qualifications for it?" Niko asked.

"Of course! The only qualifications are being the champion of a Pokemon League, the runner-up, a member of the Elite 4, or the regional Champion. So, people like Oliver can enter, or Charlotte. Elite 4 members like Kahili in Alola, or Champions like Cynthia."

"Why isn't Charlotte invited, then?" Warren asked.

"Well, of course she is. That's up to her," Ash said. "I'm simply extending the offer to Niko, as he was the runner-up to the title of Champion of Alola."

"I…I'm flattered that you think I'm cut out for this, Ash…"

"That's because you are."

"But I don't think I can."

"Why is that?" Ash asked with genuine curiosity. Everyone, including Venusaur, Vaporeon, and JJ's Pokemon, all looked at the two trainers, facing one another.

"I'm not ready for that. I don't think I'm cut out for it. Plus, I'm not in the right mindset," Niko said.

"You are, trust me," Ash said. "I know a strong trainer when I see one."

"Well, maybe you're wrong, then—" Niko then felt a slap across the face. Turning to his right, he saw Venusaur with a green vine standing there, glaring up at his trainer. "What was that—"

Venusaur slapped him again.

"Niko," Charlotte said, "you're the strongest trainer that I know. You can do this."

"You want to be a Pokemon Master, right?" Fay asked. "That's your goal, correct?"

"Yes, but—"

"What's holding you back?" Brittany inquired.

"A lot of—"

"A lot of things? Like what? Your self-esteem?" Jake demanded to know.

"That, and—"

"JJ's death…" Warren observed.

"Yeah, and that."

"Do it."

Niko and his friends all turned to see Maizie standing behind them, Valerie in her arms. At her feet was JJ's Growlithe, who had been her escort for most of the day.

"Huh?"

"I said do it, Niko," Maizie said with a passion he had never seen in her before. "JJ would have told you the same thing, and you know it."

"Yes, but—"

"He believed in you, every step of the way, right? That's what you said in your eulogy, right?" Maizie said, walking towards Niko. "Well, if you want to honor JJ in the way that he deserves, then you enter that tournament, and you win dammit. You become the strongest trainer in the world, because you damn well know that's what JJ would have wanted you to do."

Niko was looking directly into Maizie's eyes when she finished talking. She wasn't wrong—JJ would have told him to go for it. After all, what did he have to lose? If he won, then he would claim the title of "World Champion," and if he lost then he could continue to train and try again in seven years.

Niko looked down at Valerie, and then Maizie, before turning back to Charlotte and Venusaur. Finally, he turned to Ash.

"I'll do it. I'll enter the Pokemon World Tournament."

* * *

 **Author's Note: One arc down, one to go! What do you think so far? Is everything making sense up to this point? I ask because there are a lot of little things I needed to cover (hence why this episode was a little longer than usual). What do you think of Niko's reaction to JJ's death? Was it how you expected it to be? What about Ash's proposal to him about the PWT and his response?**

 **Hope you enjoyed!**


	9. The Pokemon World Tournament

Niko looked down at Valerie, and then Maizie, before turning back to Charlotte and Venusaur. Finally, he turned to Ash.

"I'll do it. I'll enter the Pokemon World Tournament."

 _One month later…_

Niko looked down at the Indigo League badge case. His first, and possibly his most memorable of the eight cases that he owned (one was for his Z-crystals that he carried around with him). He looked specifically at the Boulder Badge. Then, putting it down, he looked at each and every case that he earned: Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Battle Island, Unova, Kalos, and finally Alola. Each with its memories and challenges. Each with stories of him, his friends, and the dozens of Pokemon that they met along the way. Memories and lessons that he would take with him to the next stage in his career as a Pokemon Trainer.

"Niko! Are you ready?" Charlotte's voice shouted from downstairs. Her boyfriend, up in his room, scrambled down the stairs, nearly tripping over himself and falling flat on his face, ultimately made it to the bottom having just dressed himself. "…okay, you're ready," she said with an eyebrow raised.

"Yep! I'm ready to go!"

"Mhmm. Alright then, we're leaving in a couple hours, just wanted to check," Charlotte said after looking over Niko and turning on her feet towards the backyard. Niko followed her, noticing all of his Pokemon gathered outside as they usually were when he had made an announcement.

Usually Niko would bring them all together and announce that he was leaving. This time, though, they would all be going together. It made him smile—looking out at each of his Pokemon, all of whom he had befriended over the past seven years, from Venusaur to Poipole. He remembered the first time he left, when there were only six Pokemon, and of those he brought one—his still very young Magnemite—with him to the Johto region. Over the years, they all had grown in number and, in some cases, even in size.

Even after he abandoned them, they had stayed—a testament to their loyalty towards him. He tried to reward that in every way he could, and in the summer since spent an enormous amount of time with each and everyone one of them. In the month since the end of the World Crisis, he did the exact same thing.

Only this time was slightly different. They had a goal this time—to win the Pokemon World Tournament. Every day, Niko would train with them, sometimes individually and sometimes in groups. No one was exempt from this. No one wanted to be exempt from this.

When Niko told his Pokemon about it, they either jumped for joy or gave a stern look of determination. For some, the loss to Hau lit a fire under them. For others, it was the World Crisis and the death of their friend that did it. Either way, Niko was fired up from his Pokémon's passion. Every day it gave him a reason to continue on despite his loss.

Charlotte noticed it, too, and equaled that passion in practice battles against Niko. Sometimes, JJ's Pokemon would join in, but only after a few weeks or so. Even Fay jumped in to test Niko and, when Jake returned from the Lily of the Valley Conference, having placed in the Top 4, he would also challenge Niko on a near daily basis.

"Hey everyone," Niko said as his Pokemon gathered around. "This is it—today we leave for the Pokemon World Tournament. You all have done so well in your training this past month and, given all that we've been through, I couldn't be prouder of you. I don't really have much else to say so…let's go out and win this!"

They all cheered as Niko and Charlotte returned them all to their pokéballs and placed them in the bag. It was time to go.

"If we leave now we'll make it to the airport with a little bit of time to spare," Charlotte said as she hurriedly slung her bag over her shoulder, a couple of pokéballs dangling from it.

"We'll be fine, babe," Niko said as he did the same. He opened the front door to see Daisy and Jake in the car, ready to go. When they got in, Jake turned to his brother and smirked. "What?"

"Hey, is Fay coming?" Daisy interrupted.

"Yeah, he's coming separately," Niko explained. "He's got some work to do first, but he'll be there for the first round."

Daisy nodded and began driving.

"So…where exactly are we going again?" Jake asked. He had immediately left for Sinnoh after the funeral to get his final Sinnoh gym badge and compete in the regional league, and so wasn't privy to the planning process involved.

"The World Tournament rotates generally between different regions," Charlotte explained. "This year it'll be held in Castelia City in Unova."

"So…not too far from here. Nice," Jake said with a smirk. "Also…why aren't you competing, Charlotte? Technically you qualify."

"Yeah, but I'm not ready yet. The way Ash described it, I wouldn't last past the second round."

"You'd do great," Niko said, rubbing his girlfriend's shoulder.

"Thanks, but I think only competing in a couple of leagues isn't enough of a qualification. My Pokemon would get exhausted pretty quickly."

"The rounds aren't that close together, I don't think," Niko replied. He had briefly looked at the pamphlet Ash had given him, so he was still fuzzy on the details of what he was getting himself into.

A great start, really.

* * *

The flight to Castelia City didn't take too long, as expected. By evening the four of them had landed and planned on meeting up with Warren, Sydney, and Charlotte's mother, Emily, for dinner. It didn't take long to leave the airport and get to their destination—Niko's old workplace, Restaurant Prime.

"Who suggested this?" Niko asked in mock curiosity. "Honestly?"

"It's for good luck!" Warren said, implicitly admitting that it was his idea. "This is where you were reborn, Niko!"

"Re…born…?"

"Yeah! You picked yourself up after being here."

"Warren…you picked me up. You know that, right?"

"Well, yes, but…okay fine. You're right. But isn't it nice to be back here?"

Niko looked around. The restaurant was never the kind of place he wanted to go, even on a fancy date with Charlotte. He never did "fancy" well, preferring the quality of the people he was with and the conversations over the quality of the venue. But…even he had to admit that it was nice.

Without his knowledge, a familiar face (to him, at least) served them. It was the chef, and his old boss, Caleb. Upon seeing him, Niko froze.

"Niko! How're ya doin?" Caleb said in a tone unbecoming of a chef of his caliber. "Heard yer gonna kick some ass in a bit."

"I…I guess so…"

"I never knew you were a Pokemon Trainer! And one hell of a powerhouse at that! Your friend Warren told me everything," Niko shot a glare at his former roommate. "He approached us a week ago and requested that we book a reservation for you, saying it was a special occasion."

"I bet he did…" Niko muttered.

"Anyway, we'll all be watching for ya! You're gonna do great! Now…what'll ya have tonight?"

Niko and his company ordered and within moments Caleb was gone. After he was out of sight and sound, Niko continued to glare at Warren.

"What…?"

"I really don't want to draw attention to myself," Niko said calmly, but everyone could tell he wasn't pleased about it. When they all gave him inquisitive looks, he elaborated. "Look, just entering this thing is nerve-wrecking enough. I don't want to build up people's hopes in case I lose in the first round!"

"But you won't, because you never have!" Charlotte said. "With the kinds of Pokemon you have, the preliminaries should be easy as hell!"

"Right, I'm sure they will be, but everyone is watching. This is actually a huge deal…" Niko said. Admittedly, he hadn't caught the previous World Tournament. He saw bits and pieces, but he was more focused on other things. Obviously, he knew who had won the entire thing.

"Everyone usually watches, Niko," Warren said. "You've seen the crowds for the regional leagues."

"But this is _different_!" Niko said, emphasizing the last word.

Eventually, he gave up on debating this, and the group of them peacefully ate their dinner. To calm the light tension, Charlotte inquired about Warren's recent activities.

"How's the orphanage coming along?" she asked.

"Oh, we're only in the planning stages. I've scoped out a couple of potential locations, but it's gonna be hard to pay for it all," he explained. "Castelia City is not cheap. It's very difficult to start up a small business around here."

"I can imagine…" Daisy said. "When we lived in Vermilion City it was difficult, and that's not even on the same scale as Castelia City."

Warren nodded. "I am making some money as a freelance journalist, though. I've also done some interviews on the World Crisis, which has been helpful getting my name out there."

"Well, that's good I guess…" Niko said, slightly perturbed by that. It could have been his emotions talking, though. "Sydney, how're you doing?"

"Good! Just…work, heh," she replied with a shrug. "It's something. I'm thinking of moving to a different radio station if I don't move up in the next year or so."

The conversation continued for another hour or so before everyone retired to their rooms—Warren and Sydney in their apartment; Emily, Charlotte, and Niko to the former's house; and Daisy and Jake to their hotel close to the stadium. The following day, Niko would be granted his own suite as a participant. Supposedly, at least.

* * *

The stadium, built for this events of this magnitude, was enormous. It was only a few blocks away from Castelia University. Before Niko went to register, Charlotte took him around the campus to give him an idea of her life before travelling the region.

"That's where I met Smeargle for the first time," Charlotte said, pointing to a park near the edge of the campus as they were leaving. Charlotte had told this story several times already, but Niko never tired of hearing it, and so she recited it once again as they left en route to the stadium.

There, they met up with Daisy and Jake. Warren and Sydney would later arrive, but after work hours. It was very much unlike the previous stadiums Niko had competed in—there was only one stadium, as opposed to a main stadium and several smaller, auxiliary ones.

Entering the front doors—sliding, glass doors—of the stadium took them into the lobby, which was larger than usual. However, unlike previous regional leagues, it wasn't teeming with miscellaneous trainers. In fact, it was more with less trainers and just as many reporters and press.

Which freaked Niko out.

"It'll be fine," Charlotte reassured him as they walked through the lobby and to the front desk.

"Hello…?" a lady asked in a bored, unemotional tone.

"Hi, I'd like to register for the Pokemon World Tournament," Niko said politely.

"Name?"

Niko gave his name and hometown.

"Honey, you're already registered," she said, reaching for a drawer and pulling out a pamphlet. "Here you go. And here's your room key for your hotel. You'll be in the Alder Building. It's just down the street and to the east. You shouldn't miss it—it's the ugly orange one."

"Noted, thank you," Niko said, turning to his friends, all of whom were curious too. Who had registered him?

"Must've been Ash," Jake said as they sat down in the lobby to kill some time before others showed up. "I mean, you did tell him about your intention to compete."

Niko nodded. "Makes sense. I was just surprised. Now…let's look at this thing."

He was about to open the pamphlet and formally read the rules of the competition before feeling something press heavily on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw two oddly familiar faces—Jacob and Cody, the friends he had made in Johto.

"What the-?"

"Niko!" Jacob shouted excitedly. "How're ya doing?"

"What're you two doing here?" he asked just as Fay appeared behind them. "Oh…gotcha."

"Figured they'd like to check this out, too," Fay said. "How're you feeling?"

"Fine, I guess. Glad you guys could make it…?" If he was being honest, Niko wasn't sure how to take this. He hadn't seen Cody and Jacob in years. They had met up on occasion during his summers in Pallet Town, but that was it.

"We wanted to see you get your ass kicked by Ash," Cody, ever the optimist with regards to Niko, remarked.

"If I make it that far," Niko said with a self-deprecating wink towards his sometimes-friend. Cody shrugged, laughing it off.

"Nah man, you'll make it through. I can see it," Jacob, unsarcastically the optimist between the two of them, commented. "Are your Pokemon ready?"

"I think so. I'll be doing some training today and until the tournament starts. You're both welcome to join me if you'd like."

"Oh absolutely! It's been awhile—I'd like a rematch," Jacob said with the same rival-like passion he displayed in the Silver Conference. He sat down and spent over an hour catching up with Niko and introducing himself to Charlotte, who joined in their conversation relatively quickly. Meanwhile, Fay and Cody talked with Jake, with Cody on his tablet most of the time. He was catching up on a Pokemon soccer game.

As the later afternoon slowly arrived, Niko got up to introduce himself to his suite room and meet with Warren and Sydney for dinner again, this time closer to the stadium. When he and his small entourage of people left the main lobby, Niko was bombarded by a very unfamiliar face.

This young, youthful-looking woman glared up at him, notepad and microphone in different hands.

"You're Niko from Pallet Town, right?" she demanded to know, her eyes bulging through her circular glasses.

"Uh…yeah. Hi."

"Hello. I'm Abby from Castelia Daily News. We're interviewing each contestant in the World Tournament. Do you have a moment to talk?"

Niko turned to his friends, giving Charlotte the key. "I'll only be a little bit, alright?"

Charlotte looked at Abby with an obvious expression of confusion and nodded, leading the group down the front lawn of the stadium and towards the apparently hideous orange building that Niko was to stay in.

"So! How long have you been a Pokemon trainer?" Abby asked, getting uncomfortably close to Niko, shoving the microphone up to his mouth.

"Err…about seven years now."

"And what made you want to become a trainer?"

"I wanted to see more of the world, meet Pokemon, and compete in something that I thought was worthwhile. My Dad was a Pokemon biologist, and so I always grew up around them and—"

"Okay, that's good enough. Now, how many leagues have you competed in?"

"Counting Battle Island? About eight."

"Eight…wow…just like Ash. Anyway! I heard you helped in the World Crisis. Do you think that your experience there will give you an edge in the Pokemon World Tournament?"

"What do you mean?" Niko asked sternly.

"You defeated a god, I mean. It's all over the news. You're a hero around here."

"Okay, but one of my best friends died in that crisis. I'd rather not think about it."

"Please answer my question," Abby said, pressing onwards.

"No, I'd rather not."

Abby noticed the seriousness in Niko's voice and didn't press any further. Instead, she continued asking questions about Niko's past, clearly as a confirmation of what was apparently being written about him in newspapers across different regions.

"Finally—how do you feel going into this. You might be up against Champions. You've never defeated a Champion before, so how do you think you'll be able to win this?"

Niko thought about it for a moment. If he was being honest, he hadn't considered any of his future opponents up until this point, which was unusual for him to do. Niko wanted to be prepared, generally speaking, except clearly not at this moment.

"Well, I think we've got a great shot, Abby! I believe in my Pokemon, and they believe in me! Together, we can do just about anything, whether it's make it to a regional Champion or defeat a god-like Pokemon."

"Hmm. Alright then. Thank you for your time, Niko. And good luck," Abby said with a dissatisfied tone in her voice.

 _What a weird encounter_ …Niko thought to himself before turning on his feet and walking towards his soon-to-be living space for the remainder of the Pokemon World Tournament.


	10. Poison Pin preparation

**Episode 10: Poison Pin Preparation**

Niko spent much of the following day training with his Pokemon. The Pokemon World Tournament was to begin three days from then, and he still didn't feel completely comfortable, although he did his best not to show it. Most of the training work involved honing their moves as they are. Rarely did Niko consider teaching them a new move. Occasionally, his friends would jump in and train with him. Niko's Hitmonchan vs. Fay's Electabuzz; Niko's Sceptile vs. Charlotte's Ampharos. Each time Niko would come out on top, albeit with mixed results: he barely defeated Fay's Electabuzz, for example.

During this time, other trainers would stop by to watch and talk to Niko afterwards, either to get tips and advice from him, or to challenge him themselves.

One trainer in particular was an older man with light-purple hair and a black cloak stood out. He didn't exactly reveal his name, and he refused to battle Niko, but he watched carefully as Niko and his Sceptile defeated Charlotte's Ampharos.

"Good battle, kid," he said calmly as he approached Niko after the battle. "That Sceptile of yours is strong.

Niko was about eye-level with him and smiled. "Thanks, I appreciate that. He's one of my hardest workers, that's for sure."

"I battled a tough Sceptile once before, took out one of my strongest Pokemon. This one battles similarly. Anyway, are you competing in the tournament?" Niko nodded. "Good. I hope to see you there."

With that, he walked off without so much as introducing himself.

"What was that about?" Jake asked.

"No idea. I've been having some bizarre encounters recently," Niko noted. "First the reporter, and now that guy. He seemed nice, at least."

"Sounded creepy, though," Charlotte added, a shiver running down her spine. "I have a bad feeling about him."

"You shouldn't," Niko said, turning to her and rubbing her back. "Everything will be just fine. Alright everyone! Let's keep going!" Niko shouted to his Pokemon.

Since he had, well, quite a few Pokemon on hand, Niko trained them in teams of six, chosen at random. Of those six, one in particular stood out during that training session:

Poipole.

Niko had caught Poipole towards the end of his journey in Alola. It was a fun-loving, curious little Ultra Beast that had slowly befriended Niko on their trip to Ultra Megalopolis, where he intended to take Poipole back home. However, the Poison Pin Pokemon decided on joining Niko's team as his sixth capture in Alola. Since then, Poipole had only competed in one serious battle, but has otherwise not done much besides train with Niko. Since it was the least-experienced member of Niko's group, Poipole required a different sort of training, and worked independently with Niko.

At first, Niko was hesitant about letting Poipole compete in the World Tournament, but the poison type was adamant about it, for whatever reason, and wanted to give it a shot.

Realizing his Pokémon's determination, Niko remembered a brief conversation he had with Ash during their battle against Ferdinand Diamond. Supposedly, Poipole is capable of evolution. However, Niko had no idea how to evolve it, and he didn't exactly have any reference to help him. So, he just continued training with the little creature in hopes of triggering an evolution that way.

"Alright, Poipole! Use nasty plot!"

"Marowak, bone rush!" Jacob commanded. The ground type picked up its long bone and threw it across the makeshift field towards Poipole, who narrowly dodged the attack before shooting forward, spraying venom everywhere.

"Well done, Poipole! Now, use poison jab!" Niko shouted. The Poison Pin Pokemon thrust its tail downwards on Marowak, only to get caught in its opponent's hand and slammed onto the ground on its back. "It's okay, buddy! Use venoshock!"

Poipole started emitting a light purple aura before spraying poison out of every orifice of its body, causing Marowak to stumble backwards. Seeing its opportunity, Poipole surged forward, stabbing Marowak in the chest with its tail and knocking it on its back.

"Wow! Great job, buddy!" Niko shouted as Poipole spun around in the air excitedly. _It's getting stronger, that's for sure. Maybe its going to evolve soon?_

The battle wasn't over, as Marowak surprised Poipole with a bone rush to the head while the latter Pokemon was spinning victoriously. Poipole took the hit and spun out of control, eventually crashing onto the ground. It slowly tried getting up before taking a flamethrower to the back from Marowak, keeping it grounded.

"Poipole is unable to battle, Marowak is the winner! The victory goes to Jacob!" Fay, who was acting as a judge, declared.

"That's what you get when you fight with type disadvantages…" Cody said while still looking at his tablet.

"Poipole did its best, right buddy?" Niko said as he crouched down to greet his fallen Pokemon.

"Aren't Ultra Beasts supposed to be powerful?" Cody continued, this time with more genuine curiosity than before.

"Yes. They are," Niko said, slightly miffed now. "Poipole is pretty strong, you should've seen it in the Lanakila Conference."

Cody was about to retort when Fay turned to him and shook his head, shutting both him and Niko up.

* * *

After lunch, Niko was about to go back out to train, again with Poipole, when he saw someone approaching them from a distance.

It was Ash.

The World Champion waved to Niko as he slowly walked over, his Pikachu sitting peacefully on his shoulder. "Hey, Niko!"

"Pika!"

"Hey Ash, Pikachu," Niko said, his friends at his side. "Did you just get here?"

"No, I've been here for over a week now preparing for the tournament," he waved to Niko's friends, some of whom were in awe at his presence. Ash hardly seemed to notice. "Anyway, I did want to talk to you about something. You own a Poipole, right?"

Niko blinked for a moment. Was this about their conversation in the tundra? "Err…yeah. What's up?"

"Want a tip on raising them?"

"Uh…sure, why though?"

Ash shrugged. "Thought I'd help you out. Poipole is a unique Ultra Beast, and evolving it is just as much. Come on, I'll take you to the practice room we have set up," Confused, Niko turned on his feet and followed Ash, his friends in tow as well. "How're you feeling? The World Tournament starts in a couple of days," Ash asked, attempting to create some small talk between Niko and himself.

"I feel…fine," Niko said hesitantly.

"What's holding you back?" Ash wondered.

"Oh, nothing. I've just never been in a tournament quite like this one."

"It's going to be a little different, isn't it?" Ash said, clearly aware of the trials ahead. "Yeah, my first time was a doozy for sure. I nearly lost in the first round after the preliminaries, when it actually mattered."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I was up against this one girl with a Metagross. She was proving to be way too difficult, even for my Infernape. Luckily, we managed to use the Blaze ability and decisively win, but it was a nail biter for sure."

Niko looked over at Ash. He had never seen the World Champion battle before, excluding the World Crisis, as he had only seen a few of Ash's Pokemon in action. He certainly had far more than that.

"I will say this, Niko—you're lucky you have so many faithful friends here cheering you on," Ash said with a wink, "makes us similar in another way."

"I suppose so," Niko muttered. After walking through the main lobby of the stadium, instead of taking a left to go to the dining hall, they took a right towards an elevator.

"Anyway, this training is really for specific trainers—Champions, Elite 4, and myself," Ash said, "but we can bring guests if we want to."

"Wait…why is it so exclusive?" Charlotte wondered.

"No idea. But those are the rules. I've tried to change them so more trainers can come and hang out here, too, but the World League Committee won't let me for some reason."

"World League Committee…?" Niko asked.

"Yeah, they basically run this thing. It's a group composed of the President—Colton Goodshow—and Champions from each region, plus myself and a few others."

They eventually made it to the bottom floor—at least, they thought it was the bottom floor—and exited the elevator and walked down a brightly-lit hallway until Ash opened a locked door and proceeded through.

On the other side was an ordinary-sized battlefield with some stands on each side. It looked very much like any other Pokemon gym, but with windows above both stands.

"What's on the other side of those?" Charlotte asked Ash.

"Other spectators, if need be. Back there we have a refreshments bar. It's…almost too nice, honestly."

"The perks of being World Champion, I guess…" she muttered.

"Niko meet me in the center of the field," Ash said, beckoning for the younger trainer to join him. "Your Poipole can evolve into Naganadel if and when it learns the move dragon pulse. I'm sure you're familiar with the move?"

"Yeah," Niko replied. He knew Poipole had ambitions to be stronger and doing so would involve having to learn this move. Fortunately, he was familiar with how to teach it. "I have a couple Pokemon that know it already, actually."

"Excellent! Why don't you bring them out?"

Niko nodded, shuffling through his bag to look for Clawitzer and Drampa, summoning them simultaneously. Seeing the two, Ash looked impressed.

"These are difficult Pokemon to catch and raise—well done, Niko. Hi, you two, I'm Ash—the World Champion. I'd like to help your friend Poipole evolve into Naganadel, and it involves learning the move dragon pulse."

Clawitzer seemed unmoved by this but agreed all the same. Drampa, on the other hand, looked excited to help out. Niko then turned to Poipole, who looked at its trainer nervously.

"You're gonna be fine, buddy," Niko said, rubbing the soft shell on the back of Poipole's head, which hardly seemed to calm it down. "Your friends are going to help you get stronger."

"What _is_ Niko's relationship with Poipole?" Fay asked as they sat in the stands.

"It's…well, like any other," Charlotte replied. "They weren't exactly friends at first, but Poipole grew on Niko over time, and it wanted to get stronger anyways," Fay nodded, eying the Poison Pin Pokemon curiously.

The training began with Drampa and Clawitzer firing dragon pulses from one end of the field to the other, and Poipole observing it. For much of this part of the session, Ash stood on the sidelines and watched as well. One of the problems, Niko found, was that each dragon pulse was different—Clawitzer's was more of a burst of energy, while Drampa's took the form of an actual dragon, albeit briefly.

"Is that normal?" Niko asked Ash a few minutes later.

"Yep!" Ash said. "Each dragon has a different pulse signature. Sometimes its barely noticeable, but other times you can really tell. Do you know anything else that knows dragon pulse?"

"I do!" Charlotte said, getting out of the stands and walking to the opposite end of the field. "Noivern, Ampharos, I choose you!"

"Oh, perfect," Ash said, crossing his arms. "Niko, your girlfriend has some pretty solid Pokemon, too!"

"That she does," he replied with a smirk. Charlotte then demonstrated both of her dragon pulse moves. Noivern's was much like Clawitzer's—a burst of energy after charging up. Ampharos' was in the shape of a dragon, much like Drampa's. "Poipole? What do you think?"

The Poison Pin Pokemon turned to Niko looking slightly awestruck, but with a hint of fear. Niko took this as a sign that something wasn't quite right. He didn't share this with Ash or Charlotte, though.

"Well, let's give it another go," Niko said as he caressed Poipole once more. "Pay close attention to the beginning of the move. You know, when that light aura shows up around them," he whispered to the poison type.

Poipole nodded and continued watching. Attack after attack, Poipole watched. After nearly half of an hour, the Poison Pin Pokemon seemed ready to go.

"Okay, Poipole! Let's see what you can do!" Niko said as his Pokemon made way for their teammate. The Ultra Beast floated forward before coming to a stop a quarter of the way across the field. "Use dragon pulse!"

Poipole's body started to glow a light purple aura before disappearing just as briefly. Niko noticed its head droop a little in disappointment. Before he could get to his Pokemon, though, Niko saw Drampa beat him to it, pulling Poipole under his wing and holding it there. Minutes later, Poipole emerged from the wing and gave it another go, this time maintaining the aura for a little longer.

"What's going on?" Niko asked Ash. "Why can't it use the move?"

"Your Poipole might still be too young. That, or its some emotional block," Ash replied. "Niko…where did you get this Poipole?"

Niko recounted the event leading up to Poipole's capture—the mission Hapu sent him on, travelling Poni Island, and eventually reaching Ultra Megalopolis. When he mentioned that Poipole is descended from a more powerful version of itself, Ash's eyes widened.

"Oh…oh my," Ash muttered as he looked at Poipole.

"What is it?" Niko asked in a loud enough voice to catch Poipole's attention.

Ash simply removed a Beast Ball from his belt and tossed it into the air, summoning his Naganadel. The massive poison and dragon type flew around the battlefield before landing near Ash, who had moved closer to a very nervous Poipole.

"Poipole, this is Naganadel. It's what you evolve into when you learn dragon pulse. Naganadel, this is—"

Ash paused. The two Pokemon—Poipole and Naganadel—eyed one another before the latter leaned forward to apparently sniff the former. Poipole, out of nowhere, spat venom at the Naganadel before scurrying towards Niko, nearly tackling him to the ground.

"What the—? Poipole are you alright?" Niko wondered.

"Niko, this Poipole…" Ash said, looking up at his Pokemon, "is directly related to my Naganadel."

There was silence on the field. Niko blinked, looking at Drampa and Clawitzer (both surprised by this), and then Charlotte, before seeing Poipole burying its face in his chest. "How?"

"Naganadel is its parent, as it seems," Ash explained. "You see, I caught Naganadel as a Poipole when I was exploring Alola a long time ago. It later evolved into Naganadel and we separated for a while, as it needed to stay in Ultra Megalopolis. Years later, I was going to defend my title for World Champion and I wanted Naganadel on my team, since my opponent was looking to be a tougher challenge than my first go-around. When I came back I found out Naganadel was about to have a baby and, well, I guess this is it."

Niko was awestruck. When Hapu had mentioned this Poipole was born from a powerful descendent, she forgot to mention it was the Pokemon owned by the World Champion!

"I don't really know what to say…" Niko said.

"Why did Poipole react the way it did?" Charlotte, who had walked up to join them, asked.

"Naganadel has its baby and left Ultra Megalopolis," Ash explained, "to come and battle with me. That was the choice that we both made. It was a selfish one, and because we haven't been back since, Poipole has grown up without a parent."

"That explains how it got out into Alola…it must've just wandered off one day…" Niko muttered. "Poipole…are you alright?"

Poipole looked up at Niko before shaking its head. Niko felt a small hand reach down to his belt and touch the Beast Ball. Within seconds, the Poison Pin Pokemon was inside its ball, clearly not wanting to be bothered.

"Well, there goes that training…" Niko muttered, looking to Drampa and Clawitzer.

* * *

Niko spent the rest of the day thinking about Poipole. The young Ultra Beast was, Niko learned, abandoned early in life and never got the chance to meet its parent. If Poipole was to compete, much evolve, Niko figured it'd need to get over this emotional block.

After leaving the training center, Niko and his friends went to grab something to eat. Along the way, they met up with Kaila, who had travelled to Unova to watch Niko compete. The young Melemele girl and her Lycanroc, Ruffy, found them as they reentered the main lobby. Upon seeing Niko and Charlotte, Kaila squealed with her characteristic excitement and tightly embraced them.

"Nice to see you too, Kaila," Niko said calmly.

"Thanks for coming to support Niko," Charlotte added.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?" Kaila asked with a bewildered expression. "So Niko, are you ready!?"

"I—yes, of course I am," he replied with some hesitation. "Did you just get here?"

"Yep! Ruffy and I landed a couple hours ago. We found a place to stay and everything!"

"Oh…wow," Niko said, surprised that someone as young and naïve as Kaila could figure that out on her own. "Well done!"

The progressively growing group continued on towards the dining hall. The entire time, Niko's thoughts were filled with Poipole. He was at a loss for words regarding how to handle the little creature. Some of his Pokemon had been abandoned before—Magnemite, for example—but everyone deals with it differently. Niko and his Magnemite had never met the latter's parents or dealt with it in any way. Poipole was very different.

"Niko? Are you okay?" Kaila asked curiously.

This caught his attention, taking him out of his mind. "Huh? Yeah, I'm fine," Niko looked to Charlotte, who elaborated for their friend.

"Oh. I getcha," Kaila said, now deep in thought. "Oh! I got an idea!"

"You…do?" Niko said with surprise.

"Yeah! Come on!" Kaila grabbed Niko's wrist, dragging him out of his chair. "Let's go! Bring Poipole with you!"

"O-okay…" Niko said as he stood up next to Kaila. "Let's go…?" he asked Charlotte, Jake, Cody, Jacob, and Fay. The group followed suit and walked with Niko and Kaila onto the fields outside the stadium. "What're we doing, Kaila?"

"You'll see. Ready, Ruffy?" A confused Lycanroc nodded before running forward with Kaila. "We'll battle!"

" _That_ was your idea?" Niko asked.

"Mhmm! A battle can make everything feel better!" Kaila put a finger to her mouth, "or, well, depending on who you are. But it does for me and Ruffy!"

Niko raised an eyebrow. Kaila's spirit was inspiring. "Poipole, you're up!" Noticing the reticence of the little creature, Niko tapped the back of its head to get its attention. "Let's give it another go, alright? I know you're afraid, but you get stronger by overcoming fear. Trust me."

Poipole looked up at Niko and slowly nodded, which made him smile.

"Alright Poipole! Let's go, use dragon pulse!" he shouted.

Ruffy stood still as he and Kaila awaited Poipole's attack. The Poison Pin Pokemon floated completely still. Its eyes were closed and slowly, but surely, a light purple aura surrounded it. Was this the moment? Would it finally conjure the energy to use the move?

"POLEEEEEE!" Poipole roared out in an attempt to release its stored up draconic energy. Moments later, the energy dissipated almost as quickly as it burst.

 _Dammit_ , Niko thought. _What's wrong with it?_

"Niko? Is…is everything okay?" Kaila asked. "Should we try another time?"

"No, no it's fine. Poipole, come here…" Niko said, crouching down on a knee. Poipole slowly made its way over to its trainer, head drooping. "You're afraid, aren't you?" When Poipole tried to shake its head, Niko continued. "I think you are. Seeing your parent for the first time—that's scary, right? You're nervous, angry, sad—I get that. Maybe you think that you were abandoned because you're not good enough? Is that really it?"

Poipole nodded.

"Well buddy, I wouldn't have caught you if I agreed with that. You won in the Lanakila Conference precisely because you're worth it. You're strong—way stronger than you think you are. But you'll only be strong if you can," Niko poked Poipole in the chest, "believe in yourself. Okay? Don't worry about your parent. We'll win the Pokemon World Tournament and face Ash and defeat his Naganadel. Well…you will. Sound good?"

For the first time, it dawned on Niko that he might end up facing Ash Ketchum for the title of World Champion. He tried to hide the fear now setting in, but definitely failed. Fortunately, Poipole was too caught up in its own thoughts to care.

Poipole turned to Kaila and Ruffy and charged directly at the Wolf Pokemon. The spike on its head started glowing purple as it prepared a poison jab. Ruffy leapt into the air and dodged before using stone edge to strike Poipole in the stomach and rocket it into the air. Ruffy then followed up with thunder fang, grabbing Poipole and thrusting it into the ground.

"Poipole!" Niko shouted, running over to Poipole, who surprisingly got up with only a few bruises on its body. "You…okay?"

Poipole nodded, turning to Ruffy and smiling. Ruffy reciprocated. But Poipole's attention quickly turned to…Jacob, of all people.

"Huh?" Jacob, who had been intently watching this all unfold, asked curiously. "What's up?"

Niko looked from his Pokemon to his former rival. "Guess Poipole wants a rematch. You in?"

Jacob smirked. "Of course," he then swapped places with Kaila and pulled out a pokéball. "Marowak, I choose you!"

"Poipole, use toxic!" Niko commanded, quickly getting back into the battling mode. Poipole shot backwards and into the air before spraying poison everywhere. "Now, venom drench!" he cried as Marowak collapsed onto a knee from the poison taking effect. Poipole, energized by its newfound courage, sprayed more venom over its opponent before diving in to use poison jab.

"Bone rush!" Jacob shouted. Marowak lifted its bone and slammed it into the side of Poipole's head, thrusting it into the pool of venom on the ground. Poipole rolled around before getting back up and staring Marowak down. The ground type then shot at its opponent to continuously slam its bone across the Poison Pin Pokémon's body before stabbing Poipole in the chest and rocketing it backwards. "Now use stomping tantrum!"

"Poipole!" Niko shouted as his Pokemon, now laying on its stomach, tried to get back up. Marowak slammed both of its feet on the ground before charging furiously at Poipole. "POIPOLE!"

Poipole looked up at Niko before noticing someone near his friends. It was Ash and Naganadel. They were smiling (as much as a Naganadel could, that is). It then looked at Marowak and, feeling a sudden surge of energy, opened its mouth and fired.

A beam of purple energy shot across the field towards Marowak, engulfing it in draconic energy and halting its tantrum. Once the resulting explosion dissipated, Niko and Jacob found Marowak laying on its back. Slowly, it tried to get back up and, when it did, it was engulfed in a bright white light and covered the field.

Poipole grew exponentially, its body elongating to include a long stinger under its abdomen. Its neck grew longer, and its face covered in a mask-like feature. Lastly, it grew a pair of bat-like wings.

"NAGANADEL!" it roared menacingly, peering down at Marowak, who smirked and spun its bone in its hand. Naganadel then flipped forward, its stringer glowing bright purple as it slammed it down on Marowak's bone in an attempt to use poison jab.

"Woah…" Niko said. Naganadel was now fighting Marowak entirely on its own, using dragon pulse with ease and countering the ground type's attack with its own. At one point, Niko turned to Cody, Fay, Charlotte, and Jake to see their response. Cody seemed surprised—Fay unfazed. Charlotte and Jake were impressed.

Then he noticed Ash and his Naganadel standing nearby, watching with relative excitement on their faces, before turning back to the battle at hand.

"Finish it with dragon pulse!" he shouted. Naganadel fired a final burst of draconic energy at Marowak, who responded with a hyper beam. The resulting explosion covered the makeshift field, Niko, Jacob, and both Pokemon.

Once the smoke dissipated, both Pokemon lay defeated on the ground.

"Nice job, Niko!" Jacob said excitedly, returning Marowak to its pokéball as Niko approached his Pokemon.

"Thanks, Jacob," Niko said, crouching down in front of Naganadel. "I'm very proud of you, buddy. Get some rest," he returned the Poison Pin Pokemon. He then looked to see if Ash and Naganadel were still there, only to find that they had disappeared. "Huh…"

"Well done, Niko!" Kaila shouted as she ran over to her friend. "Naganadel looks so cool!"

"I'll let it know you said that," Niko said, tapping Kaila's shoulder before turning to Charlotte.

"You two did great. What did you say to Naganadel?"

"Just to do its best, basically," Niko said.

"How are you feeling?" Charlotte asked, continuing on.

"I'm _fine_ , Charlotte," Niko said, bringing her in with one arm. "Let's go meet up with Warren and Sydney, alright?"

The group decided to split for the rest of the day. Fay, Jacob, and Cody went off to a bar while the other four met up with the couple and hung out for the rest of the day.

* * *

"So…in two days, right?" Warren asked as they sat down at a sushi restaurant that evening. Jake was off with his and Niko's mom, so it was both couples and Kaila sitting around for dinner.

"Mhmm, I believe so. I still need to do some more preparation, but we're getting there," Niko said.

"What's the first round going to be? A one-on-one like usual?"

"No, it's a double battle," Niko explained. "The tournament begins with a preliminary round. There, we have three battles, all different types. You only need to win two of three to advance. The first round is a double battle. Then a triple battle. And then an inverse battle."

"Inverse battle…?" Kaila asked curiously. "What's that?"

"It's where the types of Pokemon are turned inside-out. So, for example, fire type move are super-effective against water type Pokemon."

"Woahh," Kaila said with awe. "That sounds really hard."

"It will be. I'll have to do a lot of preparation for that one, I think," Niko said, his emotions showing on his sleeve again.

"Niko…" Charlotte said, whispering in his ear. "We need to talk later, okay?"

Niko nodded, just as he noticed Wally and Oliver show up nearby. Once the green-haired trainer noticed his rival, he sped-walked over to Niko's table excitedly.

"Hey Niko! You're just the person I was looking for!" he said, holding out a small box.

"What's this…?" Niko asked, looking down at the box. "Hello, by the way."

"How're you feeling?" Oliver asked.

"Good. You? Are you entering?" Niko wondered.

"Yeah, I am. Hopefully we get a chance to battle again," Oliver said with an expectant expression. "By the way, this is a gift from Wally and I—as a thanks for making us better trainers."

"Really now…" Niko said, looking back at the box. It was white with a bright green ribbon on it. He unfurled the ribbon and opened the box.

Inside, resting in a foam surface like a ring would, was a small spherical stone. It was a beige color with a curved forest green streak through it. Niko immediately identified it.

"This is a mega stone…" he muttered.

"A Sceptilite, to be exact," Wally said calmly. "I found it while travelling through Hoenn after the World Crisis. I think if anyone deserves it, it's you."

"Wow…Wally…"

"You're an inspiration to me, Niko. I'm not entering the Pokemon World Tournament, but you can bet I will in seven years. And I'll defeat you for the title of World Champion!"

"But…I'm not the World Champion," Niko said confused.

"You will be, Niko," Wally said confidently.

Niko looked up at the green-haired trainer; the one whom he helped get started as a trainer; his friend and rival for nearly five years. Now a young man who has more personality and potential than Niko thought he personally was capable of.

HE, Niko, was an inspiration to someone like Wally.

It meant more than he realized.

* * *

 **Author's Note: How was this episode? Good? Anything need work?**

 **By the way, episodes might be scarce this week. Out of town and sort of busy. However, now we're really getting into the meat of this arc. The World Tournament begins in the next ep!**


	11. Into the fray

**Episode 11: Into the fray**

Floodlights lit up the stadium from all angles, temporarily blinding Niko as his eyes adjusted to the bright lights. He was standing with the other competitors on the battlefield where the Pokemon World Tournament would take place the following day. Any of the people on either side of him could be his potential opponent. Any of them could defeat him, and decisively end his chances at challenging Ash.

Challenging Ash…

The concept of facing off against the strongest trainer on the planet was such a foreign idea to him.

He noticed Oliver standing nearby, as well as some of the champions in other regions—Alder, Bonnie, Lance, and Wallace came to mind. Lastly, he noticed…Elliot. One of his first—and closest—rivals. Niko hadn't seen him in years by this point and was genuinely curious as to how he was doing.

Then, on a massive monitor in front of him, he saw a face light up on the screen. It was a familiar one—Colton Goodshow, President of the Pokemon League. From the looks of it, he was in a moderately lit room up in his box near the giant screen. Just as suddenly as his face appeared, so did his voice.

" **Welcome, one and all, to the 25th Pokemon World Tournament!** " his voice boomed into the microphone, more than he usually did in Pokemon Leagues, " **Held here in Castelia City in the Unova region!** "

" **As always, I'm your host, Colton Goodshow, and I will be walking you—the world—through the toughest Pokemon tournament on the planet!** " this made Niko gulp, " **Today, I will run through the tournament as its designed, as well as introduce each and every competitor participating in this long, arduous tournament.**

" **The tournament will be broken into three round. The first part is the preliminary round. Every participant will engage in three unique types of battling—a double battle, a triple battle, and an inverse battle. To proceed to the second round, a trainer must win at least two of the three battles. Generally speaking, about 32 trainers will advance to the second round.**

" **The second round is an elimination round. Here, the 32 remaining trainers will battle it out, just like any other Pokemon League. The first battle will be a three-on-three battle, and the remaining battles will be full battles. Whomever comes out on top will be the sole trainer that proceeds to the third and final round: The Championship Round.**

" **In this third round, the winner of the second round will get the opportunity to challenge the World Champion for their title. The returning Champion is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, who won the title 14 years ago in the 23rd Pokemon World Tournament.**

" **And now, we will introduce each trainer in turn. From Sootopolis City in the Hoenn region, please welcome the reigning Champion of the Hoenn region: Wallace!** "

Niko watched as several familiar—and vastly more unfamiliar—faces walked up to a small, raised platform to smile for the camera and wave to the crowds surrounding them. He saw Bonnie, Steven, Elliot, Oliver, the purple-haired guy from a couple of days ago, and many others before his name was called.

" **And finally, the runner-up to the title of Champion of Alola—Niko from Pallet Town in Kanto!** "

Niko—somehow—heard Warren and Jake screaming his name as he stepped up to the platform to look directly into the camera. In reaction to the intensely bright lights shining in his eyes, he put a hand over his face protectively and waved with the other.

Great start.

" **Aaaaand that's it, folks! Before we go, I will now reveal the match-ups for the first preliminary round. And…here we go!** "

Everyone turned up to the screen to see well over 50 profiles show up on the screen. As they usually did, the profiles flipped over and shuffled around on the screen before coming up with pairs before flipping the profiles back over to reveal the matchups.

Niko didn't recognize his opponent—a short redhaired girl with glasses and one ponytail in the back. He turned to her, raising an eyebrow at how comically short she was. She looked deceptively small, in fact. After taking notice of his eventual opponent, Niko turned to see Elliot approach him. The young man who had given him so much trouble early on in his career as a trainer simply smiled and held out his hand.

"Hey, Niko," Elliot said in an uncharacteristically deep voice. "Long time no see."

Niko similarly smiled. "Yeah, it has been a while, hasn't it?"

"So…runner-up in Alola, eh? You've gotten stronger."

Niko shrugged. "I suppose so. I don't think that'll mean much here. How have you been?"

"I got to the Champion's League in Hoenn last year, but that was it. Lost to this dragon user in the Elite 4—Drake, I believe. He was pretty tough, especially that Mega Salamence of his…"

Niko smirked, thinking back to his loss to Drasna's Mega Salamence nearly a year prior. "They _are_ tough, that's for sure. Anyway, I'm glad you're competing. Hopefully we'll get to have a rematch."

Elliot looked directly at Niko and nodded. "Of course. I'd like that very much, actually," as he was about to turn and walk away, Elliot looked again at Niko. "Well done, by the way, in stopping Arceus. And…sorry for your loss."

"I appreciate that, thanks," Niko muttered before also turning away. He noticed Bonnie on his way out of the stadium, only passively waving to her before continuing on.

Meanwhile, in the stands, Niko's friends all sat in awe. All of them realized it, but none of them expressed it verbally—this would be the toughest tournament yet for Niko. They had all realized it was going to be hard to get through, but none of them truly grasped the scale to which it was.

 _Champions, Elite 4,…_ Charlotte thought to herself, _Niko's never beaten a Champion before._ She was worried not just about his chances, but about how he might feel if he lost, or failed to advance from the preliminaries. She looked down the line at some of her friends and their expressions. Fay looked deep in thought; Jake looked like he was trying to process it; Warren and Sydney were talking amongst themselves. The only one who didn't seem fazed was Kaila, who was sitting next to her. The young Alolan was, as usual, optimistic. Noticing Charlotte's worry, she placed a hand on the older woman's lap.

"Niko will be fine, he can win this."

Charlotte looked away before nodding. "I just don't want him to feel like he can't."

"Then shouldn't you do that?"

Charlotte blinked. That was…oddly wise of Kaila. The words from the usually cheerful and happy-go-lucky little girl felt like an enormous slap across the face. _Of course I should!_ She shook her head, forcing the look of concern off of her face and replacing it with one of determination. "You're right, Kaila."

* * *

Wally had given Niko a mega stone for his Sceptile the day prior. From his perspective, the gesture meant a lot to Niko, and he intended on using it to its fullest potential. So, on the fields outside the stadium that evening—where he usually trained—Niko summoned the Forest Pokemon to train, with Charlotte and Jake as his audience.

Immediately, Sceptile turned to Niko, sensing something nearby his trainer. Niko noticed this and withdrew the Sceptilite from his pocket.

"A gift from our friend Wally," Niko said cheerfully, "It'll allow you to mega evolve like Venusaur and Aggron."

Sceptile's eyes widened, which was of no surprise to Niko. Back in Kalos, when they realized that Aggron had received a mega stone, Sceptile showed a bit of jealousy, ignoring Niko and his Hoenn teammates for a brief time before entering the tournament himself and racking up a couple of wins. Niko realized this but wasn't sure how to alleviate the envy his powerful grass type felt. Ultimately, he used Sceptile in battles as a way of boosting the Forest Pokémon's confidence.

"So…ready to give it a go?" Niko asked. Sceptile nodded and, within moments, Niko felt a surge of energy coursing through his body. Sceptile's body began to glow as well, a sphere of energy engulfing him in the same way it did for Venusaur and Aggron.

* * *

Later that evening, Niko and Charlotte lay in bed in their suite near the stadium in relative silence. They could hear people yelling and screaming—parties nearby, likely.

The only thing on Niko's mind was the battle the following day—a double battle. Too much was on his mind: the battle the following day, Naganadel's evolution and Ash's intervention into it; the pressure to win the World Tournament; JJ's death. He was confused, and unsure of how to think and feel.

"You're going to win tomorrow," Charlotte said, forcing Niko to turn on his side to look at her, prompting her to do the same. "You know that, right?"

"Yeah, I do…" Niko said.

"What's on your mind?" she asked.

"A lot of things."

"Like what?"

"I don't know…I'm just confused."

"Confused about what?"

"About a lot of things, Charlotte!" Niko said, raising his voice and sitting up. "I don't even know why, but I feel a lot of pressure and the tournament hasn't even started yet!"

"I can assure you that you're not the only one. I'm positive Oliver and Elliot are feeling the same way. Hell, even Ash probably is."

"He has no reason to. He's the strongest trainer in the world, why would he?"

"Even the strongest things can be defeated," Charlotte replied, "you know that better than anyone."

"That…wasn't me, though," Niko said, "it didn't feel like me."

"From my viewpoint, it was. Niko—you'll be fine. We're all here for you."

Niko shook his head. "That worries me. I don't want to fail you all."

"How would you fail us? You've made us so proud over the years!"

Niko was silent. He had nothing else to say. "Look, I guess I'm just stressed out, that's all," he replied, trying to rationalize his irrational behavior. "Let's just go to bed and hope for the best tomorrow, alright?"

Charlotte nodded, laying back down. This was far too confusing for either of them to process in that moment. Niko was losing confidence, for whatever reason, and she felt it was her job to do something about it.

* * *

" **Welcome to the first day of the Pokemon World Tournament!** " Colton Goodshow's voice boomed from his box up near the top of the stands. " **Today, we begin the preliminary rounds! There will be three rounds over the course of the next two days. To advance, trainers will need to win at least two of the three battles. A failure to do so will result in one's elimination from the tournament.**

" **Today, we start off with the first of three rounds. This is a double battle round, where each trainer will use two Pokemon at the same time. In our first match of the day, we have Elliot from Viridian City in Kanto versus Lisa from Castelia City in Unova!** "

Niko sat in a room specifically made for the participants. Unlike in previous tournaments, he wasn't allowed to sit in the stands. It was very much like Pokemon Contests, as Brittany had explained to him before they split up.

As far as waiting rooms went, it was beautiful. Adorned with paintings of famous people and Pokemon, well furnished with comfortable couches, and had servers bringing food in on occasion. It made Niko feel a bit like royalty might, which was an uncomfortable feeling at first, and one that he didn't get over immediately.

"Nice, isn't it?" an unfamiliar voice said quietly as he looked down at Niko.

"I guess so…" Niko replied, looking up to see the same light purple-haired man towering over him. He wore a long red cape-like sash that covered his neck and what looked like a gray jumpsuit underneath. "I've never exactly had this sort of, err…"

"Service? Yeah, it can be a bit much at times. Eventually, you just don't even notice. By the way, I saw your Poipole evolve a couple days ago. How do you like owning an Ultra Beast?"

Niko shrugged. "Naganadel is no different from my other Pokemon, honestly. So…I guess I like it?"

The man nodded, almost absentmindedly. "It's powerful, you know. If I were you, I'd take full advantage of that."

"Thanks. Hey, wait!" Niko said, hurriedly standing up as the man began to walk away. "I never got your name."

"Oh," he said kindly, turning to reveal only one eye (the other was covered by his long hair). "Of course. My name's Tobias."

* * *

Elliot had easily won his match against Lisa, using his Mega Scizor and an Emboar to overcome a Primarina and a Krookodile. Niko noticed no discernible change in Scizor's speed, only in its raw power. It was something to note, he thought, in the event he might have another rematch against it.

Niko continued to watch match after match. Wallace—the Champion of Hoenn—faced off against Grimsley, a member of Unova's Elite 4, and won with relative ease as well. Niko had never seen Wallace engage in a Pokemon battle before and took note of his rather graceful style of battling.

It was after Wallace's battle that Niko faced up against the short, red-haired girl. Her name was Mandy, and she was from Vermilion City in Kanto.

" **And for our fifteenth match of the day, we have two trainers from Kanto—Mandy from Vermilion City, and Niko from Pallet Town!** "

"Go Niko!" Warren shouted from seats just above the field. Niko's friends and family managed to find seats close to the battlefield. Niko turned to see his friend and put a thumbs up—everything was fine.

Niko and Mandy both stood on opposite sides of the grassy battlefield. Mandy looked up and waved before her expression hardened, and she moved some of her curled red hair behind an ear. The referee for the match—a young woman in a black and white-striped outfit—explained the rules of the match, nothing new to either participant.

Niko looked down at his belt, withdrawing two pokéballs from it. He took a deep breath and pressed the buttons on the balls, each in one hand, expanding them.

"Sceptile, Prinplup, I choose you!" he shouted, commencing the match. Out of the pokéballs came out the penguin and gecko-like creatures. None of them, however, were ready for Mandy's choices.

"Buzzwole, Pheromosa, you're up!" Mandy said, throwing two pokéballs out as well. Out of them came two tall, bug-like creatures.

On the left was a feminine-looking cockroach Pokemon with a thin, mostly white build. It had a segmented body with five segments dividing its torso; a long and narrow neck with a small, semicircular face; narrow eyes with purple irises, and blue pupils; long, thin legs suits for running and kick.

To the right was a bug-like creature that looked radically different from its partner. It resembled a mosquito with bulging muscles that looked like large sacs with a red fluid in them. It had black spikes on its shoulders, elbows, and knees. It moved around with four legs without feet and two pairs of orange, translucent wings.

"What…are those…?" Warren said, turning to the others. "Do you know what those Pokemon are?"

No one seemed to respond until Kaila, of all people, spoke up. "They're Ultra Beasts, I think."

"What kind of Ultra Beasts?" Brittany asked.

"Err…let me think. I read about them once…" Kaila said, putting a palm to her chin and looking carefully at the two creatures now battling it out with Sceptile and Prinplup. "They're both bug and…err…fighting, I think. I don't remember where they come from in Ultra Space, but they're pretty powerful. Especially Pheromosa."

"Why Pheromosa?" Charlotte asked.

"Because it's fast," Kaila replied simply.

Niko was surprised. He hadn't seen these kinds of Pokemon before. Both were large and looked relatively menacing. However, his nervousness didn't translate to his partners, both of whom looked ready to begin.

"A-alright, then. Sceptile, use dragon claw on Buzzwole! Prinplup, metal claw on Pheromosa!" Niko commanded. _What are these? And what type are they?_

"Buzzwole, use hammer arm! Pheromosa, triple kick!" Mandy shouted, thrusting a hand forward. Pheromosa sped off along the grassy plain, torso leaning forward as it gained speed in its pursuit of Prinplup. The Lissome Pokemon then flipped forward, slamming its elongated leg on top of Prinplup's head, thrusting the Penguin Pokemon into the ground before spinning on its side and kicking Prinplup on both sides of his face.

Meanwhile, Buzzwole scuttled along the battlefield towards Sceptile, whose claws extended and emitted a light purple aura. Both attacks collided powerfully, halting both of their respective advances and leading to a stalemate.

Niko watched both of his Pokemon struggle to gain any momentum against Mandy's Pokemon. The battle had just begun, and he felt like he was already at a disadvantage.

"Hi jump kick!" Mandy shouted. Pheromosa briefly leapt into the air and kicked upwards, striking Prinplup in the face and knocking him backwards while Buzzwole managed to lift Sceptile while the latter was using dragon claw and slam him back into the ground. "Buzzwole, superpower!"

"Sceptile!" Niko shouted. "Get up!"

The Forest Pokemon nodded, slowly getting back onto his feet, rolling to the side to dodge a hammer arm. Niko then commanded Sceptile to use leaf blade. The grass type obliged, slashing at Buzzwole's two left legs before immediately standing back up.

"Well done!" Niko said as he watched Buzzwole stumble. "Now use dragon claw!"

Sceptile's claws began emitting a light purple glow before expanding and slashing at the Swollen Pokemon. The red fluid in Buzzwole's arms began to glow and the bug type slammed a frozen fist across Sceptile's face, promptly knocking him to the ground.

Meanwhile, Prinplup was struggling with Pheromosa. The Penguin Pokemon had difficulty dodging the cockroach-like Pokémon's attacks—hi jump kick, triple kick, and lunge. While trying to keep track of Sceptile's battle, Niko tried keeping up with Prinplup's as well. "Drill peck!" he shouted, realizing that Pheromosa—and Buzzwole—were certainly fighting types. The attack ultimately missed when Pheromosa leapt over him and slammed its foot on Prinplup's head, forcing him into the ground.

"This…isn't going so well," Brittany said as she sat back. "Niko isn't getting any attacks in."

"They're either too fast or too powerful," Warren replied, "Not sure what Niko has planned for getting around that."

 _C'mon, Niko…_ Charlotte thought to herself, _you can do it…_

"Sceptile, use leaf blade!" Niko commanded as the Forest Pokemon slashed at Buzzwole yet again, only to be blocked and forced back by an ice punch to the chest. "Prinplup, switch with Sceptile!" he shouted.

The Penguin Pokemon nodded before getting struck in the chest by Pheromosa's lunge, rocketing him into his partner. Both Pokemon crumbled to the ground in a small heap, causing Niko to sigh loudly.

He shook his head. _No, we're better than this. We're more coordinated than this. We've won tougher fights than this_. Niko felt a surge of energy running through his chest—where his Key Stone was. Similarly, Sceptile felt the same energy emanating from wristband he wore with his Sceptilite.

"SCEPTILE! MEGA EVOLVE!" Niko shouted. Prinplup backed away as his partner started to glow. Orange tendrils of energy shot out from Niko's body towards Sceptile's, briefly tying them together. The Forest Pokemon started glowing, its body changing rapidly.

His head crests became more pointed with a round portion missing from the middle. Red markings surrounded his eyes, which were now smaller and narrower. The yellow seeds along his back grew larger, with the last pair turning red and the pair above it orange. Red stripes encircled the base of his tail and run across his stomach. The leaves on his wrists became more pointed, and the upper ones had red tips and half-circles cut out of the middles. Covering his chest and shoulders were plates of leaves similar to those that formed his tail. Finally, his tail grew longer and developed a red stinger at the tip.

Mega Sceptile roared as the energy around him burst into an explosion of small sparkles.

" **Would you look at that folks! Niko's Sceptile mega evolved!** " Colton Goodshow shouted. In the box, sitting next to him, Ash Ketchum smirked.

"Sceptile, use frenzy plant on Buzzwole!" Niko commanded. "Prinplup, drill peck on Pheromosa!"

Sceptile uprooted spiked plants from under the ground and thrust them at Buzzwole, tying it down and slapping the Swollen Pokemon with the remainder of them. Meanwhile, Pheromosa dodged the seemingly rogue plants, aiming directly for Prinplup, who met the Lissome Pokemon head-on, his beak glowing a bright white color. Pheromosa managed to strike first with hi jump kick, but not without taking the drill peck and crashing into the ground beside its opponent.

"Dragon claw, Sceptile! Finish it off!" Niko commanded. Mega Sceptile roared again as he shot forward at Buzzwole, who was slowly getting back up. Meanwhile, he reached into his pocket and withdrew a light blue Z-crystal.

Seeing this, Mandy did the same—but quicker. "Pheromosa, use All-Out Pummeling!"

"Prinplup, Supersonic Skystrike!" Niko commanded. Both Pokemon got up at the same time and performed the poses necessary to activate the Z-energy from their trainers. Almost immediately, Pheromosa fired off orange-colored, fist-shaped energy blasts at Prinplup, who took a couple to the chest before leaping into the air and rocketing downwards at his opponent. The resulting explosion blew both Mega Sceptile and Buzzwole back as well, creating a small crater where Pheromosa was standing.

When the smoke cleared, both Prinplup and Pheromosa lay there in defeat.

"Prinplup and Pheromosa are unable to battle! That still leaves Mega Sceptile and Buzzwole!" she declared.

"Sceptile, dragon claw!" Niko commanded.

"Buzzwole, use hammer arm!" Mandy shouted. This time, Mega Sceptile was faster, and managed to slash at Buzzwole's chest before grabbing one of its arms and thrusting it to the side. Sceptile spun around and fired off a powerful leaf storm from his tail, effectively ending the battle.

"Buzzwole is unable to battle, Mega Sceptile is the winner! And the victory goes to Niko from Pallet Town, who now needs one more victory to advance!"

" **Let's give a round of applause for Niko and Mandy!** " Colton Goodshow declared as the crowd chanted Niko's name.

The trainer in question saluted to Mandy before walking over to Sceptile, who reverted back to his ordinary form. "You did excellent, buddy. We need to thank Wally for the mega stone, alright?" Sceptile nodded and pointed to Prinplup, who was still laying there alone. Niko, not feeling too exhausted from the battle, jogged over to the Penguin Pokemon and lifted up his head onto his lap. "You did amazing, too, buddy. I'm proud of the both of you."

* * *

"Wait, what!?" Niko shouted at his friends. It was the end of the day, and all of the double battles had commenced. He was standing in the hallway near the entrance to the waiting room when he was told what exactly he had fought.

"Yeah, both Buzzwole and Pheromosa are Ultra Beasts," Fay explained, pointing to Cody's tablet explaining both of them.

Niko looked down at the tablet, squinting to read. "Pheromosa, the Lissome Pokemon. Bug and fighting type. A life-form that lives in another world, its body is thin and supple, but it also possesses great power," Cody switched to the other entry, "and…Buzzwole, the Swollen Pokemon. Also bug and fighting type. Although it's alien to this world and a danger here, it's apparently a common organism in the world where it normally lives."

"Gee, I'd hate to live there," Warren muttered.

"No kidding," Brittany added. "Anyway, yeah you just defeated two pretty powerful Ultra Beasts, Niko."

"It would make sense that they can be used in this tournament," Niko reasoned, "since Poipole wasn't banned. I just haven't seen another one before now."

"Maybe you should study up on them in case you encounter another," Fay suggested, "there's apparently a lot—well over a dozen different species."

Niko nodded. "Yeah, I'll do that tonight while I'm preparing for the battle tomorrow."

"What's tomorrow?" Kaila asked.

"Triple battles, I think."

"And you only need to win one more…right?" Brittany asked.

"Yup. I haven't done a triple battle in a long time," he said, thinking back to when he caught Solosis in Unova. That had been the only official—or semi-official—triple battle he had engaged in.

"Any idea of who you want to use?" Jake asked. Niko shook his head.

"Not yet. I'd like to give everyone a chance to battle at some point, but I think that'll be hard to do. Sceptile and Prinplup certainly need a rest—for a long time, too. I've got time."

Niko then walked off, causing his friends to join him as well. Before long, he felt Charlotte's hand running through his.

"You doing better?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Yeah, a little bit. Definitely not as nervous as before," Niko added a laugh at the end. "I was worried at first. I don't know why, but I felt afraid. And…I guess that reflected in how Sceptile and Prinplup performed."

"A Pokemon in battle is only as good as its trainer, and vice versa," Charlotte said with a wink. "You were scared, and they may have been as well, at least subconsciously."

"I think part of my fear was that I didn't know what I was fighting, and once I remembered that we had been through tougher battles, Sceptile mega evolved."

"See? You just need to believe in yourself," Charlotte said cheerfully. "We all believe in you—even your Pokemon. You just need to do the same."

Niko nodded. She was right as usual.

* * *

 **Author's Note: So...it's finally started! What do you think of the tournament procedures? What about Niko's nervousness/confusion? Do you think it was written well enough? Let me know, and stay tuned for the next episode!**


	12. A step back

**Episode 12: A step back**

"So…there are eleven Ultra Beasts…" Niko said as he sat at a computer. The hotel suite he was staying in had a computer lab of sorts, and it gave him an opportunity to learn more about the different types of Ultra Beasts out there. "All of them have an ability called 'Beast Boost' which gives it strength specific to its skills in battle."

"Which means if it's fast, then defeating a Pokemon would make it faster, I think," Fay replied. He, Charlotte, Warren, Brittany, and Niko all sat huddled around a computer, reading through the information together.

Niko nodded, and continued. "Most pokéballs have difficulty recognizing Ultra Beasts due to their extradimensional origins, so Beast Balls were created to more effectively catch them…that explains a lot."

"It looks like they've had quite the history in Alola…" Charlotte said, pointing to a passage on the computer she was on. "They just came out of nowhere in Alola almost two decades ago and wreaked havoc."

"I can imagine that," Niko said, turning back to his own computer. "So of these eleven, I've seen four: Poipole, Naganadel, Pheromosa, and Buzzwole. Wow…some of these Pokemon are crazy."

"Yeah!" Brittany said, pointing to one that looked like a tree, "that one is an electric type."

"Xurkitree…what an odd-looking creature," Niko said. "Oh, and this one looks like a jellyfish…Nihilego. It's a rock and poison type apparently."

They continued reading up on the Ultra Beasts before retiring for the night. After Fay, Brittany, and Warren all left for their respective rooms and homes, Niko and Charlotte took a walk outside. He wanted to work on which Pokemon to battle with the following morning.

"I think that the best strategy would be to use Pokemon that have types weak to each other," Charlotte proposed. "Kind of like how each starter type is weak and strong to exactly one of the others, you know?"

"Kind of like rock-paper-scissors?" Niko asked.

"Exactly."

Niko smirked. "Gotcha. Although…I kinda want to mix it up a bit. Maybe my opponent is expecting that from me, right?"

"Well, Niko…" Charlotte paused, thinking through her own reasoning. "What would you do instead?"

Her boyfriend shrugged. "I don't know, that's the problem. I have too many Pokemon to choose from…" he sat down at a bench.

"That is the best kind of problem, Niko," Charlotte replied, sitting down next to him. "And all of them are ready for this, so you shouldn't be stressed out."

"I'm not. Well, I shouldn't be. This isn't worth getting stressed out over."

"You're learning," Charlotte teased, lightly pushing Niko. "I think it's going to be okay."

"You say that a lot."

"Because it's true, and because you need to believe it, too," Charlotte replied. "You're really getting worked up over nothing. I mean that. You're one of the stronger trainers here. You've defeated everyone you know in this tournament—Elliot, Oliver, and some of those Elite 4 guys. Your Pokemon have been training for up to seven years now. You have a wealth of friends and family who are here to support you because we all believe in you."

Niko nodded. "Yeah, I'm sorry I got so nervous and stressed. There's just…a lot on my mind."

"I know. I'm just saying you have a solid backing here. I'm sure there are plenty of others besides us rooting for you."

Niko nodded. "I think so, too."

* * *

" **Welcome to the second day of the 25th Pokemon World Tournament! Today, we begin the second of three preliminary battles! This time, each battle will be a triple battle! Trainers will use three Pokemon at a time against their opponent. The first trainer to defeat all three of their opponent's Pokemon will be declared the winner! Remember, participants only need to win two of the three preliminary rounds to advance!**

" **In our first match, we have Bradley, the runner-up in this year's Indigo League, versus Tobias from the Sinnoh region!** "

 _Oh!_ Niko said, perking up, _I haven't gotten a chance to see him battle yet!_ He thought to himself. He had seen Tobias on occasion before now, even having a couple of conversations with the still-strange older man. However, he wasn't quite prepared for what he was about to see.

Tobias sent out three Pokemon, none of them in any way normal: a Latios, a Latias,…and a Darkrai.

"What the hell…" Niko muttered. "H-how does he…?"

"No one seems to know," Elliot said as he sat down. "I've heard of this guy before. He won the Lily of the Valley Conference a long time ago and was said to have defeated Ash Ketchum there. He's been using the same Darkrai and Latios ever since. Actually, Ash is one of the few to have ever defeated his Darkrai."

Niko blinked. Tobias was something else. _Do I have to fight this guy, too?_ He thought to himself. "I hadn't gotten a chance to see his battle yesterday, so this is all new to me."

"Clearly. It's a surprise to a lot of people, for good reason," Elliot explained, "but you're the only one here who seems caught off guard by it. Good thing you're seeing it now, instead of on the battlefield."

"Luckily. I think I'd forfeit on the spot," Niko joked. _But seriously, how can anyone defeat those?_ He asked as he saw Darkrai spray an ice beam all over the dirt-covered battlefield, causing a Machamp and Electivire to slip and fall while Latios and Latias swiftly finished them off. "That was…quick…"

"Yup. He's something else," Elliot replied. "Anyway, I think I'm next. Good luck, Niko!"

"Thanks, Elliot…"

In the stands, Niko's friends weren't nearly as surprised as he was. They had seen Tobias battle the previous day, but it was without the Darkrai.

"That Darkrai is incredibly skilled," Fay said, "maybe not necessarily strong, but it's a tactical fighter, much like Tobias it seems."

"He has a mixture of strategy and strength that you don't exactly see often," Jake added, "it's a real wonder how he trained those three."

"Thing is…he probably has three other Pokemon waiting in the wings," Brittany said with a shudder.

"I'm more interested in how he caught them in the first place. Especially that Darkrai," Jake continued, "there's an urban legend in Canalave City about them planting nightmares in sailors en route to other parts of the world. Darkrai is a nasty Pokemon, that's for sure."

"I can only imagine what it does to it's enemies…" Sydney said, looking worried. "Hopefully Niko doesn't have to face him, or _that_."

"Even if he does, he'll win," Charlotte said. "He'll find a way out."

"Right, didn't Ash Ketchum actually beat this Darkrai?" Jacob asked, much to everyone's surprise. "It's clearly possible."

"Yeah, but how many others have, too?" Brittany wondered, playing devil's advocate.

No one had an answer.

Elliot had soundly defeated his opponent—a trainer from Veilstone City in Sinnoh. After him, Champion Lance of the Kanto region defeated an Elite 4 member from Johto. Match after match went on before Niko's. He was after Champion Bonnie, who had swiftly defeated a member of her own Elite 4—Malva.

"Good luck, Niko!" she said in a sing-song voice before walking off to the refreshments bar in their waiting room. Niko stood up just as he heard his name called.

" **And now we have Niko from Pallet Town versus Frederick from Icirrus City in Unova!** " Colton Goodshow declared.

Niko looked across the way at his opponent. He was certainly older than Niko, with blonde hair and thick-rimmed glasses. The judge—same woman as the previous round—explained the rules of the match once more. Once she finished, Niko looked down at the three pokéballs sitting on his belt. _We can do this_.

"Boldore, Magmortar, Kadabra! I choose you!" Niko shouted, summoning three of his Pokemon onto the rocky battlefield.

"Avalugg, Mienshao, Altaria—let's win this!" Frederick commanded, sending out his three choices.

"Hmm…alright, then. Boldore, use stone edge on Avalugg! Magmortar, sunny day! Kadabra, use psycho cut on Mienshao!"

He noticed Frederick smirk. "Avalugg, hail! Mienshao, block the stone edge with aura sphere! Altaria, use dragon dance!"

While for a brief moment the battlefield was bright and warm, moments later it turned into a moderately-intense hailstorm. Meanwhile, a red and purple torrent swirled around Altaria as it prepared to fight, and Mienshao shattered Boldore's stone edge with a blue-colored sphere of condensed energy.

 _Think fast, Niko…_ "Boldore, use smack down on Altaria! Kadabra, use psychic on Mienshao!"

"Altaria, dragon breath on Kadabra!" Frederick shouted. The Humming Pokemon broke out of dragon dance and breathed out a powerful blast of flames at the Psi Pokemon, who reflexively teleported away.

"Now, Kadabra! Use psycho cut on Mienshao!" Niko commanded. "Magmortar, flamethrower on Avalugg, and Boldore use stone edge on Avalugg!"

"Altaria, cotton guard to protect Avalugg! Mienshao, behind you!" Frederick shouted. The Martial Arts Pokemon swiftly turned around, but not before getting slash across the torso with psychic energy, knocking the fighting type to the ground. Meanwhile, Altaria leapt in front of Avalugg and expanded its fluffy white wings, blocking both stone edge and flamethrower before retaliating with dragon pulse, which Magmortar swiftly countered with another flamethrower, putting both Pokemon to a standstill.

"This is already intense…" Kaila commented. "I've never seen a triple battle before."

"Niko's only been in a couple, at most," Warren added. "He managed to catch his Reuniclus that way."

 _Okay, we need to be more strategic here…Avalugg is more powerful because of the hail, Mienshao is swift, and Altaria is powered up by dragon dance. Plus, it can mega evolve. Also, I wouldn't put it past this guy to know Z-moves…_ Niko reasoned with himself while Kadabra did battle with Mienshao, Boldore attempted to strike Avalugg, and Magmortar and Altaria fired flames back and forth.

"Boldore, use smack down on Altaria! Kadabra, use psychic on Mienshao! Magmortar, lava plume on the ground!"

The Blast Pokemon started off by spraying hot lava everywhere along the field, causing the hail to melt and immediately evaporate as it constantly fell to the ground. Avalugg in particular looked worried and retaliated with blizzard in hopes of freezing Magmortar's attack. In the meantime, Kadabra nearly pinned Mienshao to the ground on the opposite end of the battlefield but was the target of a dragon pulse that nearly knocked him out of the match. Boldore then, successfully, struck Altaria in response, thrusting the dragon Pokemon to the ground, just out of reach of the lava plume. Niko noticed a small burn mark on the edge of Altaria's wing.

"Now, Boldore, use—"

"Mienshao, aura sphere!" Frederick shouted. The blue energy ball was thrust outwards, striking Boldore directly in the eye and knocking him on his back. Magmortar attempted to retaliate and instead was stricken by a dragon pulse from Altaria.

"Kadabra, use future sight!" Niko commanded.

"Moonblast! Mienshao, grab Kadabra! Avalugg, use crunch!" Frederick shouted.

Altaria summoned a massive pink ball of energy in the shape of the moon and fired it at Kadabra, who was in the middle of his own attack. After getting hit by the attack, Mienshao leapt forward and grabbed both of Kadabra's arms, holding them backwards. Then, with surprising speed, Avalugg spun towards Kadabra. When it stopped, it opened its mouth and bit down on the Psi Pokémon's head before wrenching him from Mienshao and throwing him into the air.

"Kadabra!" Niko shouted. Seeing this, Magmortar charged forward, his fist on fire, and thrust it down on Avalugg's small head, forcing the Iceberg Pokemon into the ground. Boldore got back up and successfully struck Avalugg with stone edge, hitting the ice type underneath its body.

However, despite these moves, Avalugg remained relatively fine. It started to glow a light green color—it was healing.

"What the—oh…" Niko said abruptly. "It's ability."

"Yep!" Frederick shouted from across the field. "And that's one of the many ways I'll win this match against an almost-Champion! Avalugg, use blizzard on Kadabra! Mienshao, aura sphere! Altaria, dragon dance!"

"Boldore, use smack down on Avalugg! Magmortar, sunny day! Kadabra, teleport!" Niko demanded. Boldore's attack once more struck Avalugg, halting the blizzard while Magmortar brightened the field once more. Kadabra, however, was not as lucky. The string of attacks aimed at him made him struggle to teleport, much less get back up. The Psi Pokemon took an aura sphere to the face before falling on his back in defeat.

"Kadabra is unable to battle!" the referee declared.

 _Two left…we can still win this. Avalugg is weak, and the hailstorm has disappeared_ , Niko thought to himself. "Magmortar, flamethrower on Avalugg! Boldore, smack down on Altaria!"

"Moonblast on Boldore! Avalugg, use gyro ball on Boldore! Mienshao, aura sphere on Magmortar!" Frederick commanded.

Boldore took the moonblast, which interrupted his smack down. However, he managed to evade the gyro ball, as the flamethrower from Magmortar's arm-cannon—powered by the sun—was enough to permanently halt Avalugg. Boldore's partner, however, was not nearly as lucky—the Blast Pokemon took an aura sphere to the chest, causing him to stumble back.

"Avalugg is unable to battle!" the referee declared.

"It's two on two now…" Warren commented. "And Niko doesn't exactly have the advantage anymore…"

"But he isn't necessarily at a disadvantage," Brittany added.

"Boldore, use rock slide!" Niko commanded. "Magmortar, you okay buddy?" The Blast Pokemon turned to him and nodded. "Alright, let's keep going! Use lava plume on Mienshao!"

Mienshao kicked and punched its way out of the rock slide before leaping into the air and bouncing off of Altaria to avoid the lava plume and successfully land a hi jump kick against Magmortar, this time successfully knocking the fire type to the ground. However, like Altaria, the Martial Arts Pokemon found itself with a burn as a result.

Niko was about to take advantage of these burns when he noticed Fredrick lift up a black ring along his wrist. _A Key Stone…_ Niko thought. Just then, Altaria opened up its wings to reveal a mega stone sitting around its pale blue neck.

"Altaria, mega evolve!" Frederick shouted. The Humming Pokemon grew larger than before, with the plumage on its wings expanding into a cloud-like shape with a fluffy mass extending from its back. Otherwise, it largely looked the same. "Use dragon pulse on Magmortar!"

"Block it with flamethrower!" Niko commanded. Once more, both Pokemon created a stalemate with their blasts of energy. Meanwhile, Mienshao took aim at Boldore, who swiftly managed to strike the Martial Arts Pokemon in the leg with stone edge, tripping his opponent and forcing it into the ground as it attempted hi jump kick. "Now Boldore, use rock slide!"

"Block the rock slide with moonblast!" Frederick commanded. Mega Altaria fired a far larger pink ball of energy at Boldore, blowing through the rock slide and striking at the Ore Pokemon, knocking him backwards.

Nevertheless, he stood tall while Magmortar sprayed the field once more with lava plume, nearly catching Mienshao in it. The Martial Arts Pokemon leapt back into the air to use bounce and then aura sphere to strike down Boldore once and for all.

"Smack down!" Niko commanded. "Magmortar, use—"

"Dragon pulse!" Frederick commanded. Mega Altaria fired a wave of draconic energy from its wings at Magmortar before the latter could fire an attack or react to the dragon pulse. Magmortar collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily before Mienshao changed targets and fired the aura sphere at the fire type.

"Magmortar is unable to battle! That leaves Niko with a single Pokemon left!"

"Oh, dear…" Charlotte said, eyes wide. "Niko, you can do it!"

"Boldore, use stone edge!" Niko commanded. The attack struck Mienshao while Mega Altaria was using dragon dance. _Wait…now's our chance._ He whipped out Rockium-Z from his pocket. "Boldore! Let's go! Use Continental Crush!"

Boldore performed the moves in sync with his trainer before Z-energy transferred to him. A massive rock built up above Boldore before he threw it at Mega Altaria, crushing the dragon and fairy type.

"Mienshao, hi jump kick!" Frederick commanded, apparently fuming from this.

"Boldore, use smack down!" Niko cried out. Boldore quickly recovered from having to use as much energy as he did, firing a weak, but accurate, golden orb at Mienshao and thrusting the fighting type into the ground. "Stone edge!"

The pointed stones struck Mienshao, launching it briefly into the air before causing it to collapse a second time. Meanwhile, Mega Altaria had difficulty getting back up, eventually doing so just as Mienshao struggled to get up. It did, albeit much weaker than before.

"We can do this, Boldore, we can—"

"Dragon pulse and aura sphere!" Frederick shouted.

"Rock slide!" Niko commanded, using the attack defensively. However, the dragon pulse took the brunt of much of the attack, leaving room for aura sphere to edge through and strike the Ore Pokemon, knocking Boldore onto his back, this time for good.

"Boldore is unable to battle, Mega Altaria and Mienshao are the winners! The victory goes to Frederick from Icirrus City!"

" **Would you look at that, folks! The runner-up to the Champion of Alola was defeated by the runner-up to the league title in Unova!** " Colton Goodshow declared. " **Can Niko overcome this in the third preliminary round?** "

"Return, Boldore…" Niko said before sighing heavily. "You all did really well, believe it."

* * *

Niko looked out from the window in his suite. The battle had ended hours ago, and after reuniting with his friends, he decided to take a walk alone.

 _I'm not upset that I lost…okay, maybe I am upset. Who wouldn't be, though? But at this point I shouldn't be losing so early on in a competition. The last time that happened…it was a long time ago. If I don't win tomorrow, then I'm out. It's over for me._

 _Do I actually want this? Do I want to do the best? Am I even ready to face these sorts of trainers?_ Niko thought to himself. He entered the Pokemon World Tournament largely because everyone else said he should. In his mind, he had no real reason to do so. It was all due to peer pressure. _To be fair, I am qualified in some way, but if I can't win against a Mienshao and Altaria, then I shouldn't even be here_. _I'm…just confused_.

He looked down at the three pokéballs on his belt. Boldore, Magmortar, and Kadabra all got a chance to rest, but for whatever reason Niko was still carrying them—and only them—around. He unhooked the balls and let them fall to the ground, summoning the Pokemon.

"Hey there…" Niko said, sitting down at a nearby bench. He was roughly halfway between the stadium and his hotel, in the large front field outside of the stadium. Nearby, to his right, was a fountain with a sculpture in the shape of a Lugia spouting water. "How are you three feeling?"

They all looked away nervously. The answer was obvious.

"Look, I'm sorry. I blame myself for that loss, and I don't want you three to take it personally, okay? You all did the best you could…Frederick and his Pokemon were just stronger."

Magmortar scoffed, his arm-cannons smoking, presumably with rage. Niko hadn't seen the Blast Pokemon that angry before.

"You have every right to be pissed off. Tomorrow, we have the third preliminary battle. It's an inverse battle, and I really need to think carefully about who to use. I want each of you to rest, because—" the three of them protested this, "because…we're going to win, and we'll advance. We can't give up yet. There are too many people that believe in us, alright?"

The three Pokemon nodded, calming down slightly. Magmortar was still fuming, albeit less this time.

Just then, Niko heard footsteps moving through the slightly damp grass behind him. Moments later, Brittany and Fay were each sitting on one side of him. "Uh…hi?"

"How're you holding up?" Fay asked.

"I'm okay. These things happen."

"You've grown up so much, Niko," Brittany said, placing her head on a fist resting on her lap, looking at her best friend with admiration. "Six years ago you would have gotten up and quit."

"Well, that's exactly what I did, but you thr—two, sorry—talked me off the ledge. And I'm glad you did."

"So are we," Fay replied, slapping Niko on the back. "Every damn time."

"We're all really proud of you," Brittany said.

"The feeling is mutual," Niko complimented, bringing a smile to Brittany's face, "after all, if we hadn't met you, then you wouldn't have become the Top Coordinator in Sinnoh!"

"Well, if I hadn't met you then I wouldn't have met you," Brittany said, "sounds really obvious, but just meeting you guys was life-changing enough. I got to see the world, meet Pokemon that I wouldn't have met otherwise, and got to see a World Champion in the making, a master Pokemon Breeder, and a Dragon Tamer turned researcher."

Silence enveloped the trio as the mention of JJ swept over them.

"I miss him," Niko finally said. "Like…I really do."

"We all do. At the time he was a dunce, but he really grew up," Fay said.

"More than any of us did," Niko added. "If we're being honest. I mean, who would've thought that JJ, out of everyone that we travelled with, would be the first to find love and the first to have a child?"

"He was certainly the happiest he's ever been," Fay said, "If you remember, Niko, he wasn't that way growing up."

"Yeah, he had a real anger management issue, actually. But like everything else, he overcame it."

"Just like you," Brittany said, reaching an arm over Niko and bringing him in closer. "You're going to win tomorrow and advance to the actual tournament. Then, you'll keep winning until you face Ash, and you'll beat him, too. And you'll become the World Champion."

Niko looked down at Brittany. She was right—they were glad to have met one another.

* * *

The sun shone over the Castelia City port as she got off of the boat, briefly flashing a ticket before exiting with one hand on her suitcase and the other with her ticket in hand. Once she stood firmly on the pier, she turned back, pushing a thick strand of purple and electric blue hair behind her ear to prevent it from flailing about. She had never been to Unova before, only heard of it from friends and coworkers.

Friends that were the reason she had the kinds of coworkers that she did—powerful trainers specializing in different types of battles. Friends that were her sole reason for travelling so far to Unova.

She turned back around Before walking up Liberty Pier, she looked towards the Castelia City skyline and smiled. She was nervous beyond belief, but her facial expression certainly belied it. She was about to reunite with some old friends for the first time in years.

* * *

 **Author's Note: OOOOOOO what's that at the end? Y'all, that's a teaser.**

 **Hope you enjoyed ;)**


	13. Opposite Day

**Episode 13: Opposite Day**

 _I'm going to be late!_ Niko thought to himself as he scrambled out of bed the following morning. He had been up late reminiscing with Brittany and Fay, not getting into his hotel room until nearly one o'clock in the morning. It wasn't like him to wake up late—generally speaking, he was up around the same time as Charlotte. He wasn't quite sure why his girlfriend didn't wake him up earlier, but that was neither here nor there. Niko needed to get to the stadium, and fast.

That day he would be battling in the third and final round of the preliminaries in the Pokemon World Tournament. Niko needed to win this battle or risk getting disqualified. To make things more difficult, it was an inverse battle—a type of battling style that Niko was unfamiliar with. All he knew was that Pokemon types were reversed. This wouldn't be terrible, other than for the fact that Niko knew nothing about his opponent—a trainer from Ecruteak City in Johto.

"You made it," Fay said as they saw a panting Niko run up to them.

"Y-yeah…woke up later than I thought."

"I'm sorry Niko. I figured you needed some rest," Charlotte said apologetically.

"It's…fine, I'm not mad at all."

"Are you ready?" Jake asked his brother.

"Yup, more than I'll ever be."

"Remember, Niko. Just keep your team sort of balanced, and it shouldn't be too hard," Charlotte added.

"Err…right, I'll remember that. Thanks," he leaned down to kiss Charlotte before parting ways with his friends and family and making his way towards the lavish waiting room.

* * *

" **Welcome to the third day of the Pokemon World Tournament, Master Class! I'm your host, as always, Colton Goodshow. Today we'll get to watch the third and final preliminary match, and it'll be an exciting one at that! Trainers will be engaging in inverse battles today, where the types of their Pokemon will be reversed. Each battle will take place in a special energy field that does this automatically. Every battle will be three-on-three, and after the matches are over, we will announce the trainers who have advanced to the second part of the Tournament. Remember, to advance a participant must win at least two of the three matches.** "

"Niko _has_ to win this, doesn't he?" Warren asked, looking over at the others, who nodded. "Oh dear…"

"He can do it!" Kaila shouted excitedly. "Go Niko!"

"Ruff!" Ruffy barked enthusiastically.

" **And for our first match, from the Kalos region, we have Champion Bonnie! Her opponent will be from the Kanto region, Elliot of Viridian City!** "

"Oh! Well then…" Fay said, leaning back, "this'll be fun to watch."

Niko sat on the edge of his seat. He hadn't seen much of Bonnie's battling skills, but he had seen Elliot's up close on multiple occasions. He figured that Elliot wouldn't win this one, but he had won the first two battles already and was therefore safe. Bonnie, however, had only one her first match, having lost to Alder in the triple battle round.

Bonnie's Pokemon were stronger than they looked. Her Dedenne—a small, orange-furred mouse with electric abilities, beat down Elliot's Mienshao with little difficulty. Ultimately, Bonnie was able to defeat Elliot with her Tyrantrum, who managed to defeat Elliot's Hydreigon.

Battles passed by, one by one. Niko watched each one more carefully this time. If he were to make it through the Preliminary Round, any of these trainers could be his next opponent. He could face off against a Champion, an Elite 4 member, or even a former rival like Elliot or Oliver.

Niko smiled as he saw Oliver overcome his inverse battle against Frederick, Niko's previous opponent, and eliminate him from the tournament. Niko had only wished he could have done that instead but was proud of Oliver for doing so.

The other Champions seemed to fair quite well. Alder, Wallace, and Lance all won their matches, as did Tobias, who faced off against Mandy—Niko's first opponent—and soundly defeated her and eliminating her from the tournament as well.

Eventually, though, it was his turn.

" **And for our next match, we have Niko from Pallet Town versus Johnathan from Ecruteak City!** " Colton Goodshow declared.

Niko walked out onto the battlefield—a normal dirt one—just as Johnathan did the same. The referee—same woman—announced the rules of the match, which seemed to be no different than before. Then, the two trainers summoned their first Pokemon.

"Clawitzer, I choose you!" Niko shouted, summoning the crustacean Pokemon with a massive claw.

"Solrock, you're up!" Johnathan said. Being a rock type, Solrock had the advantage.

As soon as both Pokemon entered the field a large, translucent box appeared around them before disappearing just as quickly.

 _We have to be creative here,_ Niko thought, _since water attacks won't do much…and neither will dark pulse, since Solrock is a psychic type_. "Clawitzer, use dragon pulse!"

"The only move he _can_ use…" Warren said with an expression of concern. "At least the only effective one."

"Solrock, flare blitz!" Johnathan declared. The Meteorite Pokemon lit itself on fire and charged across the field, kicking up dust in its path. Solrock ripped through the dragon pulse, only slowing down once it was within feet of Clawitzer, who leapt to the side to dodge it. "Rock polish!"

"Water pulse!" Niko commanded. _I think Clawitzer's ability will help out._ Clawitzer leapt into the air, a pulsating blue orb expanding within his large claw. He then threw it downwards on Solrock, who took the hit before rocketing upwards to use flare blitz again. Clawitzer didn't have time to react and took the hit, getting dragged upwards into the sky. Solrock then moved to the side, putting Clawitzer in freefall.

"Clawitzer, dark pulse on the ground!" Niko commanded. The Howitzer Pokemon aimed directly underneath himself and fired a nexus of dark energy, progressively slowing his descent. Before he landed, he looked back and noticed Solrock charging downwards again, this time much faster. Immediately, Clawitzer flipped backwards and fired a close-range dragon pulse, powered by his ability—Mega Launcher—and hitting Solrock directly.

Both Pokemon flew in opposite directions: Clawitzer into the ground; Solrock higher into the air. The Meteorite Pokemon took time to re-orient itself before Johnathan commanded it to use rock slide.

"Block them with crab hammer!" Niko commanded. _Rocks are still rocks, right? It might not be effective, but it'll still break them…right?_

Niko was right. Clawitzer smashed each of the rocks falling towards him before leaping backwards and using dragon pulse again, this time missing as Solrock sped downward with another flare blitz.

"Clawitzer, wait…" Niko said calmly, noticing the Howitzer Pokemon bracing for a potential impact. "…NOW!"

Clawitzer leapt into the air, rolling over Solrock—and burning slightly from the intense heat—before firing a dragon pulse at his opponent's back, rocketing Solrock into the side of the stadium wall, just underneath the audience.

It took a moment for both Pokemon to regain their composure. They were both obviously very exhausted now. "You're doing great, Clawitzer! Keep it up!" Niko shouted, getting a very stoic expression in response. "Now, let's use dragon pulse again!"

"Solrock, block it with psychic!" Johnathan commanded. The Meteorite Pokémon's eyes started to shimmer, and the draconic energy ground to a halt before being re-directed upwards into the sky, where it exploded above the stadium. "Now, flare blitz!"

 _Solrock is too fast…_ Niko thought. "Clawitzer, use water pulse!" he shouted. Clawitzer fired pulse after pulse, each water sphere slamming against Solrock and hardly slowing it down. "NOW, USE DRAGON PULSE!"

Clawitzer screeched loudly, firing another close-range wave of draconic energy from his claw, once more hitting Solrock directly in the face. The Meteorite Pokemon crashed into the Howitzer Pokemon, causing dust to erupt everywhere. Once it settled, the result of the match was obvious.

"Clawitzer and Solrock are both unable to battle! Both Niko and Johnathan will now send out their second Pokemon!" the referee declared.

"Return, Clawitzer. I'm really proud of you, buddy. We were at a severe disadvantage and you made the most of it. Now, I choose you, Incineroar!" Niko shouted, just as Johnathan summoned a Slowking. _A water AND psychic type? You're kidding…_ Niko sighed at his incredible bad luck.

"No way. How the hell…?" Warren complained. "This isn't fair at all!"

No one seemed to have a response to this either.

"Calm mind, and then use zen headbutt!" Johnathan shouted. Slowking's head started to sparkle with blue electricity as it swiftly charged down the battlefield.

"Incineroar, we're at a disadvantage here, but let's make the best of it. Use flamethrower to stop it!" Niko shouted. The Heel Pokemon thrust his pelvis forward, emitting a jet of red and orange flames from the belt around his waist. Slowking found itself engulfed in them before coming to a stop. "Well done! Now, use fire fang!"

"No no," Johnathan wagged his finger. "Slowking, use psychic!"

Incineroar, thinking that he would be fine, felt himself losing control of his body. He was picked up and thrust forward, where Slowking compounded the psychic attack with a zen headbutt, slamming the spiked crown into Incineroar's chest. Niko heard a loud whimper as the Heel Pokemon collapsed forward.

"FLAMETHROWER!" Niko roared. Incineroar, now clearly pissed off, lifted his head and bit down on Slowking's arm instead, releasing flames from his fangs. Slowking howled before using psychic once more to throw Incineroar backwards and following up with zen headbutt. "Double kick!"

Incineroar lifted himself back up and spun around on his front paws, kicking Slowking in the face multiple times before leaping onto his feet and belting out a jet of fire from his waist. Slowking simply stood there, looking furious as well.

Suddenly, Johnathan lifted up his wrist, revealing a white Z-ring. _He did the trials, too?_ Niko thought to himself, thoroughly confused.

"Slowking, use Shattered Psyche!" Johnathan shouted, performing the moves necessary to use the psychic-type Z-move.

The entire arena turned a light purple color. Incineroar was lifted into the air and thrust upwards at an angle before slamming powerfully into an invisible wall, causing a small flash in a ripple-like motion. Incineroar was thrown against multiple invisible walls by Slowking's psychic mind before being thrust backwards, shattering a final invisible wall and crashing onto the ground in front of Niko.

"Incineroar is unable to battle, Slowking is the winner!" the referee declared.

Niko was dead silent. He had no idea what to do. Incineroar was easily one of his most powerful Pokemon, and even he was brought to his knees by a Slowking, of all Pokemon.

"Well then," he muttered, returning the defeated Incineroar. "You did well, buddy. Please rest," he held out a pokéball, "This is all I've got left. Let's see what we can do. Hitmonchan, I choose you!"

"…Hitmonchan…?" Warren asked. "He…that makes sense."

"We don't know what Johnathan's third Pokemon will be, though," Brittany said worriedly. "What if it's like, a normal type, or something?"

"Niko will find a way around. I think he was just taken aback by how different inverse battles are," Charlotte said confidently. "Right now he easily has the advantage. Plus, he's still got a Z-move if he wants to use it."

"Hitmonchan, it's all on you now, pal," Niko said, "if we lose, we're disqualified," he saw the Punching Pokemon turn to look at him. "I trust you."

Hitmonchan nodded.

"Now let's win this! Use sky uppercut!"

"Calm mind!" Johnathan said. The trainer from Ecruteak didn't realize how much faster Hitmonchan was. The fighting type was quickly upon Slowking, shoving his red boxing glove upwards, underneath the Royal Pokémon's chin. Slowking was briefly thrust into the air before falling onto its back. In defense, it summoning a water pulse and fired it at Hitmonchan.

"Block it with fire punch!" Niko commanded. Hitmonchan's fist lit up on fire as he quickly extinguished the attack. "Now, use fire punch again!"

Hitmonchan charged forward once more, throwing jabs left and right at Slowking, who managed to dodge most of them before landing a zen headbutt followed by a water pulse. The Punching Pokemon promptly fell backwards, performing a backwards somersault to get back on his feet.

"That's the fighting spirit! Hitmonchan, sky uppercut again!"

"Psychic!" Johnathan shouted. Slowking's eyes began to glow as it took control of its opponent and throwing it into the air. As Hitmonchan began to descend, Niko shouted for him to use mega punch on the ground. Just before landing, Hitmonchan was hit in the chest by zen headbutt, knocking him back to the ground.

 _I'd like to save the Z-move, since Hitmonchan's move set is so versatile, type-wise…_ Niko said. "Hitmonchan, mega punch the ground as hard as you can!"

"Huh?" Johnathan asked curiously. "Slowking, use water pulse!"

Slowking summoned the pulsating sphere of water and, just before throwing it, stumbled from the violent shaking caused from Hitmonchan's mega punch. The Royal Pokemon misfired the water pulse and stumbled for a moment.

"NOW! Use sky uppercut!" Niko commanded. Hitmonchan rushed forward, taking advantage of the disoriented Slowking. When he got up close he thrusting his fist upwards, connecting with Slowking's chin and rocketing the Royal Pokemon high into the air. "And…finish it off with fire punch!"

Hitmonchan moved to position himself just underneath Slowking before lighting his fist on fire and thrusting it upward, jabbing Slowking's stomach. By the time Slowking made it to the ground, it was unable to move.

"Slowking is unable to battle, Hitmonchan is the winner! Johnathan will now use his third and final Pokemon!"

" **Wow! What an incredible battle so far!** " Colton Goodshow declared, " **Niko is making the epic comeback that he needed to prevent his disqualification!** "

Next to the President, Ash smiled. "Well done, Niko."

"Slowking, return," Johnathan said, "this has been a real battle, Niko. I'm grateful for it. Now, for my final partner. Conkeldurr, I choose you!"

"Fighting versus fighting…" Brittany commented. "Niko still has the advantage, right?"

"Ideally, yes. In an inverse battle, normal type is strong against fighting," Cody replied. "Which…is the only time it would ever be."

"Hitmonchan…if we win this, we advance. I'm counting on you," Niko said. "We've been through a lot, buddy. Remember why you train so hard."

Hitmonchan nodded, not even looking back at his trainer.

"Conkeldurr, use stone edge!" Johnathan shouted.

"Oh, shit…" Niko muttered. "Hitmonchan, charge at it and use fire punch!"

Hitmonchan nodded, rushing forward, both boxing gloves on fire. He jabbed and stabbed at each subsequent pointed stone before reaching Conkeldurr, who slammed its concrete block across the Punching Pokémon's side, rocketing him into the ground several yards away. Hitmonchan slowly got back up, wobbling slightly before standing straight.

 _That's my Pokemon. He won't give up._ "Use mega punch!"

"Block it with rock slide!" Johnathan commanded. Conkeldurr summoned dozens of rocks, each in various sizes, and threw them at Hitmonchan, who switched to fire punch to break the rocks more easily. Then, using what little momentum he had left, the Punching Pokemon slammed an energetic fist into Conkeldurr's torso, knocking it back a bit. "Hammer arm!"

"Block it with mega punch!" Niko shouted. Hitmonchan saw the concrete block coming down on him from above and lifted both fists into the air, holding the block upwards as Conkeldurr pressed down harder. _Think, Niko! What do we do now!?_

"Superpower!" Johnathan roared. A white aura surrounded Conkeldurr as it pressed even harder, causing Hitmonchan to yell loudly in response.

"Roll to the side!" Niko shouted. Hitmonchan shifted his body to the right, gloves last, forcing Conkeldurr to powerfully slam its concrete block into the ground. "Now, mega punch to the face!"

Hitmonchan leapt onto the block and shoved his fist into Conkeldurr's face, striking at its massive brown nose in particular. The Muscular Pokemon stumbled backwards, allowing for Hitmonchan to strike a second time at the upper chest.

"Don't let up! We can't lose, Hitmonchan!" Niko commanded. The Punching Pokemon continued his onslaught before getting hit in the lower torso by a stone edge, rocketing him high into the air and causing him to subsequently crash on his back. "Hitmonchan…"

The battlefield was silent. Just as the referee was about to call the match, Hitmonchan slowly got back up.

Niko smirked. "That's right, we don't quite anymore. That's in the past," he reached into his pocket, looking for a white Z-crystal. "Johnathan! We also took on the trials," he held up Normalium-Z. "Time to use this old thing again. Hitmonchan! Are you ready!?"

Hitmonchan turned to Niko and nodded.

"ALRIGHT THEN!" Niko roared, performing the moves for Breakneck Blitz. "Hitmonchan, use Breakneck Blitz!"

"Conkeldurr, stone edge!" Johnathan shouted back. It was too late, though.

The Z-energy enveloped Hitmonchan, causing a light aura to surround him as he charged forward, left fist first. He broke each pointed stone—shattered them, in fact—before striking Conkeldurr on the opposite end of the field, slamming his Z-powered fist into the Muscular Pokémon's face. Conkeldurr crumbled onto the ground, forcing the ground to shake once more. In the aftermath of the attack, Hitmonchan also stumbled, but maintained his composure until hearing a verdict from the referee, should there be one.

"Conkeldurr is unable to battle, Hitmonchan is the winner!" the referee declared, "And the victory goes to Niko from Pallet Town, who will also advance to Part 2 of the Pokemon World Tournament!"

" **And you heard it here, folks! Niko from Pallet Town will advance to the next stage of the tournament! Congrats to Niko and his Pokemon! Now, for our next match,…** "

Niko was overcome with emotion. The only thing he saw in that moment was Hitmonchan, who slowly stumbled back to his trainer. "Dude…I'm so unbelievably proud of you! You kicked ass out there!"

A very exhausted Hitmonchan returned Niko's hug before fainting himself. Niko nervously laughed and returned the Pokemon.

* * *

Niko's Pokemon were immediately taken to the Pokemon Center to heal while he waited out the rest of the round. There weren't too many matches left, and good thing, too. Niko was more than excited to see his friends and family now.

"Congrats, Niko," Tobias said as he stood next to Niko, who was sitting on one of the satin couches. "That was a well-played battle. You did excellent."

"Err, thanks Tobias. Same to you," Niko said, unsure of what to say. "You advanced, right?"

"Indeed I did. We're both in the Top 32 trainers now. Maybe we'll get a chance to battle."

"Hopefully not," Niko said jokingly. "I—I mean not that I don't want to, but…"

"My Pokemon are intimidating, I know," Tobias said with an obvious self-awareness. "Trust me, I am aware. I did not intend to come off as arrogant when I said that. I enjoy battling, believe it or not. I do it not for the glory, but for the sport. That's how it should be done, I think."

"I completely agree," Niko replied. That was a lesson he learned the hard way.

"You and Ash are a lot alike, then. He never intended to be World Champion, you know. He wanted to be the best but didn't want the title or the responsibilities of it. Which is very much like him."

"What about you? You're obviously aiming to be World Champion, too, right?" Niko asked.

"Of course I am. Everyone in this tournament is. I'd just like an official rematch with Ash. It's been far too long."

"What's battling him like?"

"Unpredictable," Tobias said curtly. "There's no other way of describing it."

"Noted," Niko muttered. "Anyway, I do hope we can battle, although I'm not sure I could beat you."

"You never know. There have been bigger surprises in history," Tobias said with a wink. "See you around, Niko."

Niko nodded in Tobias' direction before looking up at the monitors. The final match just concluded, and Colton Goodshow was back on the screen.

" **Now that the Preliminary Round is official over, we will move on to the second part! Here, we will have a traditional tournament-style competition. 32 trainers will battle it out to see who will advance to the third part—the World Championship match. The winner of the second part will face off against Ash Ketchum, the World Champion!**

" **Let's see who will advance:** "

Niko and Tobias both looked up at the screen. They recognized each other's profile. Niko then noticed Elliot and Oliver both made it. Bonnie, Wallace, Lance, and Alder all made it. Johnathan, Frederick, and Mandy—Niko's opponents—didn't. Then, from the Elite 4, Malva, Grimsley of Unova, and a few others also advanced.

" **And finally, the moment you've all been waiting for—the first match-ups!** "

All 32 profiles flipped over and randomly moved along the screen before neatly settling into 16 pairs. The profiles were then flipped, and Niko's jaw dropped.

He was against Tobias.

"Speaking of the devil…" Tobias said, turning to Niko. "I guess we will get that match after all."

* * *

"You're advancing!" Warren shouted as he embraced Niko tightly. Each of his friends and family congratulated him separately.

"This calls for a night out!" Jake said.

"…yeah, sure," Niko said nervously. "You do know who my first match is against, right?"

"Oh, we saw _that_ ," Jacob said with surprise. "Dude, that's going to be one hell of a match!"

"Can you do it?" Fay asked.

"That'll be really hard, Niko," Cody said before getting back to his tablet.

"I…yeah, I can do it," Niko said confidently. "My Pokemon believe in me, and they believe in themselves. I need to do the same. So…tomorrow we'll defeat Tobias and continue onwards!"

His friends cheered for him. Niko felt sure of himself again. It was going to be one of the toughest battles to date, no doubt, but his Pokemon have been training for years to get a moment like this. He wasn't about to let it go.

Suddenly, Niko noticed Brittany's eyes widen. The expression on her face suggested that she had just seen a ghost. Fay, who was usually stoic, also seemed surprised by something. When Niko cocked his head in confusion, Brittany pointed behind him. He then turned.

"Uh…hi, Niko."

"…Lauren…?"

* * *

 **Author's Note: I'm just going to leave that there. See y'all in the next episode!**


	14. An old flame

**Episode 14: An old flame**

There were a million things Niko could have said at that moment. "Sorry," "How're you?" and other phrasings of the sort. More than anything, he was stunned that Lauren, of all people, was there at the Pokemon World Tournament.

Lauren hadn't changed much. Her hair was still purple with electric blue strands mixed in. Her face slightly round. She was still much shorter than Niko. Instead of jeans and a light blue sweater, she was wearing a pale blue buttoned shirt and khaki shorts. Around one of her shoulder hung a backpack. Finally, she was wearing glasses now.

They stood there for several unusually long moments, thinking of something to say.

"How've you been, Lauren?" Brittany said, cleaning cutting the silence between the former couple.

Lauren smiled. "I've been great, Brittany. You?"

"Better, that's for sure. Kalos has some interesting contests. Well, they aren't exactly contests, per say, but still…"

"I've heard about those. The winner is called 'Kalos Queen,' right?"

Brittany nodded, ending the casual conversation and nudging Niko, who shot her a glare.

"Hi, Niko," Lauren finally said, breaking the tension, albeit only slightly. "I take it you're doing well?"

"I—I am, Lauren. Thanks. I-If you don't mind me asking, why're you here?"

"To support my friend," she said with a wink. "He's going to be the World Champion."

Niko blushed. "Err, sure. Okay."

"Would you like to join us for dinner, Lauren?" Fay asked casually.

"Of course! I'd love to catch up with you all!" Lauren said excitedly, prancing towards Fay and Brittany.

* * *

"So, Lauren, this is Warren and his girlfriend Sydney. They live here in Castelia City. Warren was a roommate of mine, and we've travelled together for the last few years," Niko said. He was sitting across from Lauren at a long table in a restaurant nearby the stadium. "And this is…Charlotte. We've travelled together for a few years as well, and she's my girlfriend."

Lauren blinked after looking at Charlotte, and then turned back to Niko. "Oh, lovely."

"What do you do, Lauren?" Warren asked, leaning forward a little. "Niko mentioned that you two travelled together for a bit?"

"Oh, yes. I'm a Frontier Brain," Lauren said, now causing Niko to blink in surprise.

"You…you are?" Niko asked.

"Yep. After you left me, I accepted the offer from Palmer to be a Frontier Brain. I work in the Battle Studio, which is just east of the Fight Area."

"What do Frontier Brains do exactly?" Warren asked.

"Oh, Niko never told you?" she asked, tilting her head a little with mock surprise. "Well, Frontier Brains are trainers who preside over a certain facility. Each facility specializes in a certain type of battle. They're somewhere between a gym leader and an Elite 4 in terms of strength and hand out Symbols when they're defeated. They exist in Kanto and in Sinnoh, on Battle Island. That's where Niko and I competed."

"He didn't exactly talk much about that time in his journey," Charlotte said cautiously.

"Gee, wonder why," Lauren said, trying to hide her bitterness. "What do you two do?"

"Well, I'm going to open up an orphanage in Castelia City," Warren said, "and Sydney here works for a radio station."

"I'm competing in Pokemon Leagues," Charlotte said.

"Oh, following in Niko's footsteps?"

"No, she's not," Niko interrupted. "She's doing this in her own right."

Lauren nodded, not looking directly at him. "Good for you."

"So Lauren, when you're not a Frontier Brain, do you do anything on the side?" Jake asked. He had never met Lauren, only heard stories from JJ, Brittany, and the others.

"You're Niko's brother, right?" he nodded. "Nice to meet you," she said as they shook hands. "And, well, I just travel when I get the chance. I also help train the Sinnoh gym leaders…"

While Lauren was enthralling Jake in her stories, Niko fell into thought. It was clear Lauren was still bitter, and he might have deserved any passive aggressive behavior directed at him. But was it necessary to do so in front of everyone else? Especially Charlotte? While he needed to talk to Lauren—for a few reasons—this was certainly not the time to be reminiscing on the darker moments of his past. He had an incredibly difficult battle coming up—the last thing he wanted on his mind was bad memories.

"Wait…where's JJ?" Lauren asked. "I'd think that he would be here, right?"

The table silenced immediately, all of them looking either at Lauren or Niko. For a while, no one knew what to say, nor who should say it.

Niko gulped. "He's, umm…he died over a month ago."

"…what…?" Lauren asked, stunned. She dropped her fork, nearly causing it to fall off of the chair and stab her leg. "You're kidding."

"Why would I joke about a death, Lauren?" Niko deadpanned.

"Well, I—"

"He was murdered," Niko continued. "By a man hellbent on taking over the world. I'm sure you heard about it."

"I—I did…"

"He was the only casualty."

"Niko, I'm so sorry…"

"He had a fiancé and a daughter…" Niko continued, not even looking at Lauren by now. He was lost in his own mind, triggered by the memories of his deceased friend.

"It's okay, Niko…" Charlotte said, clutching his hand. "It's okay…"

Niko lifted up his wrist, wiping away a few tears before composing himself again. "Yeah, everything is fine. Anyway."

The conversation slowly picked back up as everyone tried to move on to happier topics. Soon enough, Lauren was laughing with Brittany about old memories; Fay, Jacob, and Cody were watching something on the latter's tablet; Jake was talking with Charlotte; Warren and Sydney were amongst themselves; Niko was enthralling Kaila in old stories of his journeys.

"So did you date Lauren?" Kaila asked loudly enough for Lauren to hear. Half of the conversations ended again, creating another uneasy tension.

"Yes we did," Niko replied calmly. "We travelled through Sinnoh together."

"Ooooh! That's where you caught your Rampardos, right?"

Niko smiled at the sudden redirection of the conversation. He glanced at Lauren and nodded before turning back to the young Alolan. "Yes, that's where I caught Rampardos. I might use him in tomorrow's battle, actually."

"Your Rampardos is so cool! I really want to catch one someday!"

"They're hard to catch, so you'll have to be really diligent."

"I will, Niko!"

* * *

"Well, Lauren seems nice," Warren said as he, Sydney, Niko, and Charlotte were leaving the restaurant after everyone split off. "I can see why you liked her."

"Right…"

"I can also see why you didn't say much about the Battle Frontier. That was a rough time, wasn't it?" Warren continued.

"It was, but not as bad in hindsight. A lot of different things went wrong at the same time, that's all."

"She seems bitter, too," Sydney commented.

"We haven't talked since we broke up. And that was…rough to do."

"That explains it. She was the only one you never apologized to when you went back home, right?" Charlotte asked.

"The only one. I think I need to do that soon."

"Definitely need to do that," Charlotte replied.

"What do you think of her?" Niko asked once they separated from Warren and Sydney, who had walked back to their apartment.

"I think besides the bitterness, she seems really nice. Smart, too. To be a Frontier Brain she must be a skilled trainer. Also, she's kind of cute."

Niko raised an eyebrow, surprised at how well Charlotte was handling this. He didn't exactly expect her to react to Lauren that well. She noticed this and also raised an eyebrow, only more so with curiosity.

"I didn't expect you to be so complimentary of her, that's all," Niko admitted.

"Why wouldn't I be? She dated you, so what? Clearly she isn't anymore, and it doesn't seem like you have any feelings for her, and vice versa, so why should that matter to me?"

"You're amazing," Niko said, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

"Are you ready for your battle tomorrow?" Charlotte asked.

"I think so. I've got a couple Pokemon in mind. It'll be three on three, and I know at least three of Tobias' Pokemon."

"You just have to get around that Darkrai. It seems to be his toughest Pokemon."

"I won't use a fighting type against Darkrai. He'd see that coming. I have to fight it with raw power, if anything."

"Sounds like you've got a plan," Charlotte said as they finally sat down on their bed.

"It's coming together, that's for sure," Niko smiled back.

* * *

" **Welcome to the Pokemon World Tournament! I'm your host, Colton Goodshow, and we're live from Castelia City in the Unova region! Over the past three days, competitors have been battling one another in a struggle to advance to the second of three parts of the tournament. To advance, trainers simply had to win two of the three preliminary battles. Now, with only 32 trainers left, we will begin the second part today!**

" **The first round will be a half-battle—three-on-three—and after that every battle will be a full, six-on-six Pokemon battle. We have sixteen battles to get through today, folks, so let's get started! On one end we have Malva of the Kalos Elite 4 versus Elliot from Viridian City!** "

"Oh, Elliot's up!" Brittany said, "against Malva?"

"Niko can beat Malva, pretty sure Elliot will be able to as well," Fay commented.

Elliot started the match with his Poliwrath, who soundly defeated both Malva's Talonflame and Pyroar before falling to her Houndoom. Elliot then summoned Hydreigon who managed to tie with a mega-evolved Houndoom, giving him the win.

"Not surprised, Elliot's probably made it to the Elite 4 before," Niko said, sitting back as he watched Elliot return a defeated Hydreigon. He continued to watch match after match, seeing who was advancing and what types of Pokemon they used. In his peripherals he noticed Tobias standing in the corner silently, gazing down at a pokéball in his hands. The mysterious trainer occasionally glanced at Niko.

Eventually, though, it was their turn. Niko got up and slowly made his way out of the waiting room and onto the field, noticing Tobias entering in on the opposite side of the grassy field.

" **We've got quite the match for you today, folks! On one end we have Tobias, the legendary Darkrai trainer from the Sinnoh region, who has managed to win all three of his preliminary rounds. His opponent, the runner-up to the Alola Championship from Pallet Town, and who has barely eked out two wins in the preliminaries, we have Niko!** "

"Barely? Psh…Niko is better than that!" Warren protested. "What's Goodshow up to with that garbage?"

"He's being dramatic I think. Probably wants to set the two trainers apart. Makes for good TV," Jacob replied.

Brittany turned to Lauren, who was silent. It had been awhile since they had watched Niko battle together.

"Niko, I'm honored to battle you," Tobias said simply. "I've heard great things about you. I hope you live up to those standards. Latios, I choose you!"

Niko didn't respond, only threw out his own pokéball. "Rampardos, you're up!"

"Yippee! Rampardos!" Kaila squealed.

"Begin!" the referee declared.

"Rampardos, use ancient power!" Niko commanded, thrusting a hand forward.

"Latios, block it with luster purge," Tobias said calmly, throwing a hand to his side. The Eon Pokemon, a dragon and psychic type Pokemon larger than Niko, formed a pink ball of energy in front of its mouth before firing a beam of the same color at Rampardos, shattering the rocks and striking its opponent.

Latios was a bird-like Pokemon that looked more like a plane. Its body flowed slowly into a thick neck. It had no legs, usually floating instead. Its body was mostly blue with white areas near its arms and a white stripe on its back. Jet-plane wings sit on its back while two tall, jagged fins pointed behind it from the rear. A red mask partially covered its face. Long, ear-like fins extended from its jaws to over its head. It had three-fingered arms with a red covering on the outer side of the lower arms.

Rampardos took the hit, stumbling slightly before regaining his composure. The red-headed Head Butt Pokemon glared at its opponent before belting out a flamethrower on Niko's command. Latios again blocked it with luster purge.

"Light screen!" Tobias commanded. Latios stood still, floating just a foot or so above the ground, conjuring a translucent screen in front of it. "Now, dragon pulse!"

"Rampardos, flamethrower!" Niko commanded. Rampardos spit out more flames to block the draconic energy, just barely evading the powerful attack. _We have to get in closer…_ Niko thought to himself. He had never battled a Latios before—in fact, he had never even seen one in action before this tournament—so it was difficult to assess the battling style of the Eon Pokemon. However, he did know that Rampardos was stronger in close combat. "Use head smash!"

"Woah…didn't know Rampardos knew that," Lauren said in surprise. "That's a…really powerful move."

"Rampardos got a lot stronger since you've last seen him," Brittany said. "You'll find that's a theme with Niko's Pokemon."

Rampardos charged down at Latios, gaining power as he gained speed. His head lit up in flames as he aimed directly for the Eon Pokemon.

"Dodge," Tobias said calmly. Latios shot into the sky. "Now, luster purge!"

Rampardos was hit in the back by the psychic move, thrusting him into the ground and cancelling all of the momentum he had built up for his attack. The Head Butt Pokemon fell face-first and remained there for some time. As the referee was about to call the match, he slowly got back up, taking nearly a minute to get onto his feet.

"Niko, I appreciate your Pokémon's grit," Tobias said, "I want to see how you'll deal with this," his opened his cape to reveal a pendant with a Key Stone. "Latios, mega evolve!"

A sphere of energy engulfed the Eon Pokemon, transforming it into a slightly larger version of itself. Now, Latios was purple-colored. Horns grew from the side of its head and ran along its jaw. It lost the wings on its back, instead gaining similar but larger wings attached to its lower arms. Triangle shapes now marked the forward point of its wings instead of its chest.

"Oh, no…" Warren said. "Already? Mega evolving already?"

"Rampardos, use flamethrower!" Niko commanded. Rampardos fired jets of fire from its mouth, aiming at Mega Latios, who sped around the air, dodging the fire at every opportunity. _Dammit! How can we compete with this?_

"Latios, use dragon pulse!" Tobias commanded. Mega Latios paused to fire another pink beam of energy at Rampardos, who responded with zen headbutt this time, since Niko hoped to minimize the damage with a move of the same type. It seemed to work—somehow—before Mega Latios charged downwards to use giga impact.

"Head smash!" Niko shouted. _What on earth is Tobias thinking?_ Both Pokemon collided in the middle of the field. The force of the two Pokemon crashing into one another sent shockwaves in every direction, nearly knocking Niko off of his feet.

"Dragon pulse," Tobias said plainly. Within seconds Rampardos was thrust backwards, landing on his side on the edge of the field.

"Rampardos is unable to battle, Latios is the winner! Niko will now use his second Pokemon!" the referee declared.

"But…how?" Kaila asked. With concern. "A normal type move shouldn't do that much damage."

"First, Rampardos used head smash, which hurts him as well," Fay explained, "secondly, Latios used dragon pulse immediately after. Rampardos is a close-combat battler, and Tobias knew that. He took a large risk in going head-to-head—literally—against Rampardos, trusting that Latios would survive the head smash long enough for it to follow up with another move."

"Geez…" Warren said, "Niko's in trouble now."

"Return, Rampardos," Niko said, "you did great, buddy, we were just outmatched there. Eelektross, I choose you!" he shouted, summoning his EleFish Pokemon, who also floated in the air.

"Interesting choice, Niko," Tobias said from across the field. "Eelektross is a fascinating Pokemon. I've always wanted to face one directly in battle. Latios, use light screen!"

"Coil!" Niko commanded. Eelektross curled up, generating a light white aura around himself. Niko watched and waited for Latios' next movement. It was going to be giga impact, he could tell. "Wait for it…" he said as Mega Latios charged forward. "Now! Jump into the air and use charge beam downwards!"

Eelektross uncurled himself and slithered into the air before reorienting himself to face Mega Latios, firing a single beam of electric energy at the Eon Pokemon, who had shot upwards in response. The attacks collided, with charge beam halting Latios long enough for Eelektross to evade the giga impact.

"Now, use thunderbolt!" Niko commanded.

"Latios, dragon pulse," Tobias said. Both attacks fired at the same time, colliding in midair. "Now, luster purge!"

"Charge beam!" Niko shouted. The two attacks were once more brought to a stalemate. This continued a few more times. Niko noticed that, throughout all of this, Tobias hardly seemed fazed. His face was just as stoic as before.

"Latios, use giga impact!"

"Now, Eelektross! Wild charge!"

"Why wild charge…?" Jake wondered. Everyone else seemed confused except for Fay and Charlotte, both of whom picked up on Niko's strategy.

Eelektross rushed upwards towards Latios, who was quickly descending towards its opponent. Once he was close enough, Eelektross rolled to the side and broke through the energy field surrounding Mega Latios, latching onto the Eon Pokémon's left wing. Mega Latios ended the attack and swooped back into the air just as Eelektross wrapped himself around the jet-like creature.

"Oh my god…" Warren said, eyes wide.

"Use thunderbolt!" Niko commanded. Mega Latios flew himself and Eelektross high into the air, only to be shocked by the intense amount of electricity generated by the latter. "Keep it up! Don't give in!"

Both Pokemon then quickly fell back towards the ground, crashing into the grass below. Eelektross unwrapped himself from Mega Latios just before landing, rolling away in the aftermath of the crash.

Slowly, both Pokemon floated back off of the field, glaring at one another. Niko could hear his EleFish Pokemon panting loudly. He was, understandably, very exhausted.

"You've got this, buddy. Remember—you're the little EleFish that could! Eelektross, use thunderbolt!"

"Luster purge!" Tobias, in a rare moment, shouted.

Both attacks shot at one another, although Eelektross' seemed to break through the pink luster purge and strike his opponent successfully. Mega Latios screeched loudly before falling to the ground.

"Mega Latios is unable to battle, Eelektross is the winner! Tobias will now send out his second Pokemon!"

"Wow…" Lauren commented in shock. "Niko trained that thing?"

"Eelektross might be his strongest electric type," Warren replied.

"Yeah, I can tell."

"That or Magneton," Fay corrected. "Remember zap cannon?"

"Return, Latios," Tobias said. "Well done, Niko. It's been a long time since Latios had a match that tough. I also admire your strategy of wrapping around it. Smart choice. Darkrai!"

Unsurprisingly, Tobias sent out his signature Pokemon—Darkrai. The Pitch-Black Pokemon floated above the ground as well, staring menacingly at Eelektross. It was a black, shadow-like Pokemon. It had a small head with a white fog-like ghostly plume billowing from its head and covering one of its bright blue eyes, with the portion of its face resembling hair. It had a red spiky growth around its neck, skinny arms with claw-like hands, and long black tatters hanging from its shoulders. It's figure resembled an hourglass and looked like it was wearing an old, ripped cloak.

"That thing is so scary," Kaila said.

"Eelektross, we've got this," Niko said, trying unsuccessfully to hide his worried tone. Darkrai was far more menacing in person. "Use thunderbolt!"

"Dark pulse," Tobias commanded. Darkrai rose into the air and fired a nexus of dark energy to meet the thunderbolt, causing a premature explosion in the middle of the field. "Now, dark void!"

"Charge beam!" Niko shouted. Eelektross fired a single beam of electric energy at Darkrai, blasting the pitch-black hole summoned by the dark type and forcing it to explode on contact. "Now, wild charge!"

"Ice beam," Tobias said simply. Darkrai swiftly moved out of the way of Eelektross and fired a light-blue beam of ice, freezing the EleFish Pokemon. "Now, dark pulse!"

"Eelektross!" Niko shouted. It was too late—the now-frozen Eelektross was hit by the dark pulse, shattering the ice and Eelektross inside it. The electric eel crumbled to the ground in defeat.

"Eelektross is unable to battle, Darkrai is the winner! Niko will now use his third and final Pokemon!"

"This can't be it for Niko…" Jake said. "No way!"

"He can still win this," Charlotte said.

"Have you seen that Darkrai?" Lauren replied. "Plus, Tobias has a third Pokemon, too!"

"Have you seen Niko battle?" Charlotte snapped back. The Frontier Brain glared at her before turning back to watch the match.

"Well done, Eelektross. You defeated a legendary Pokemon. That's really impressive," Niko said. "But we still need to win this. Feraligatr, I choose you!"

"There he goes," Fay said with a smirk.

"You think a Feraligatr will beat that Darkrai, plus whatever else Tobias has?" Cody asked skeptically. Fay turned to him and nodded.

"Hey, Feraligatr," Niko said calmly. "This thing might be the strongest Pokemon you've ever fought. Don't underestimate it."

The Big Jaw Pokemon nodded, not taking his eyes off of Darkrai.

"Use hydro pump!"

"Dark pulse," Tobias said calmly. The two attacks exploded in the middle of the field. In the resulting explosion, Feraligatr charged forward, his fist frozen. Niko just barely noticed his opponent smirk before hearing the command. "Dark void."

"What the…?" Niko paused as Feraligatr collapsed forward after getting hit by the pitch-black ball. "FERALIGATR!"

* * *

 _"Totodile! What happened!? You almost had it! Try again!" Niko said, shouting at his Pokémon._

 _Once more Totodile nodded, albeit weakly, as it faced Horsea for a third round, this time on land. Both Niko and Fay commanded whirlpool and, as expected, Horsea beat Totodile to the punch. Although it did take its time building up a whirlpool, Horsea was able to slam it into Totodile with little effort, while the big jaw Pokémon struggled to manipulate the move much at all, instead just spraying water everywhere._

 _"Niko…are you sure Totodile's okay?" Fay asked, now looking concerned. "Look, I'm sorry Horsea used whirlpool, I thought that maybe—"_

 _"Its fine, Fay, really," Niko said in an attempt to assuage his friend. "Like I said, Totodile will be just fine. Can you keep it up?" he turned to Totodile, who nodded while struggling to stand up. It was looking more tired than usual._

 _…_

 _"Your Totodile is pretty strong, I hope you know that," Jacob said after losing to Niko in the Whirl Islands Tournament._

 _"I do Jacob. I just think it isn't reaching its fullest potential," Niko commented as he began to watch Cody and Fay's match._

 _"It will only reach its potential if you allow it and encourage it to, you know," Jacob said rather wisely. Niko only nodded plainly._

 _…_

 _Days and weeks went by without Niko training him, leaving him alone and away from the others. Croconaw felt hurt, angry, and sad. It's as if Niko didn't care anymore. He was looking for something else, something stronger,_ Croconaw thought to himself, _like that little seahorse. Niko doesn't want me anymore…_

 _But why is he keeping me around? So he doesn't have to embarrass himself? What a joke._

"…Feraligatr…"

 _What? Who's that? Niko?_

"…Feraligatr!..."

 _Niko? Niko where are you?_

 _…_

 _"Oh, sorry Croconaw. I guess I forgot you had left…"_

 _Croconaw nodded, but instead of ignoring Niko, it walked over and sat down next to him._

 _"How are you feeling?" Niko asked, turning to the big jaw Pokémon. Croconaw didn't look back; it was staring intently at the lake now colored by the sunset. It finally shook its head. "You don't feel good, eh?" Croconaw nodded. "Is it because we lost?" Croconaw nodded again. "I get that. You're like me—you don't like to lose. Heh."_

 _Niko sat there for a moment, contemplating what he wanted to say next._

 _"Listen, Croconaw," He began, "I get that you've been mad at me for a while now, and for a good reason, too. I pushed you too hard; I expected too much from you. That was my mistake. You see, I sometimes feel like I must keep trying to be the best at everything. I'm an ambitious person, and it gets the best of me. I wanted you to learn whirlpool to keep up with Fay. That's why I pushed you so much._

 _"Now, I don't to keep you around if you clearly don't want to be, you know? Since the Whirl Island's Tournament, you have shown no interest in training or wanting to get better. And I get that now. If that's how you want to live your life, if battling isn't your thing, that's okay! I can't push you any more than you want to be pushed. So, I've got a choice on the table for you. I'm giving you the opportunity to walk out now if you want."_

 _Croconaw turned to Niko, dumbfounded. Niko didn't notice this, as he was busy watching the water ripple from the light gusts of winds gliding by._

 _"I obviously don't want you to go…" Niko said, sniffling a little, "But I don't want to force you to stay, so I'm leaving it up to you."_

 _The two sat there for a moment before Croconaw scooted closer to its trainer and rested its large head on his shoulder. It had made its choice._

 _…_

"Feraligatr, wake up…!"

 _What? Niko! Niko where are you?_

 _…_

"You're one of my strongest Pokemon, Feraligatr! You can't give up now! If we lose, we're out!" Feraligatr could now hear Niko loud and clear.

 _I'm asleep, then. I'm…just dreaming. That weird Pokemon put me to sleep and is making me remember my old fights with Niko…NO! We won't lose!_

"GATR!" Feraligatr roared as he woke up and leapt back to his feet. Darkrai and Tobias both smirked; now the real battle would begin.

"That's the spirit!" Niko shouted. "Feraligatr, use hydro pump!"

 _I'll do you one better, Niko…_ Feraligatr thought to himself. He opened his mouth and a brief flash of light appeared inside. Then, a glowing white ball of water appeared in front of it. Feraligatr fired the ball of water, which quickly struck an unexpecting Darkrai and shot it backwards into the wall behind Tobias.

"What the…?" Niko said with surprise. "What was that?"

"…that was hydro cannon…" Fay said. "When did Feraligatr learn that?"

"No idea," Charlotte replied. "I don't think Niko even knew he could learn that."

"All water type starters can. It's like frenzy plant and blast burn," Fay explained.

"Either way, Feraligatr use whirlpool!" Niko commanded when he noticed Darkrai reorienting itself. Feraligatr conjured a swirling mass of water above his head and threw it forward, catching Darkrai inside. The whirlpool quickly froze when the Pitch-Black Pokemon rose out of it and fired a dark pulse. "Block it with ice punch!" Niko shouted. Feraligatr threw his fist forward, catching the dark pulse before it hit him anywhere else, and slowly pushed it backwards. Darkrai swept out of the way. "Whirlpool again!"

"Dark void," Tobias said, surprisingly still calm. Darkrai summoned multiple black orbs and fired them at Feraligatr, who blocked the move with a whirlpool that sucked up the dark void and subsequently exploded.

"Now, whatever that new move was!" Niko commanded. Through the dissipating explosion Feraligatr fired a second hydro cannon, ripping through the mist and striking Darkrai a second time, throwing the Pitch-Black Pokemon into the ground. "WHIRLPOOL!"

"GATRRR!" Feraligatr roared, whipping up another torrent of water and thrusting it at the weakened Darkrai, who found itself once more caught up in the attack and thrown into the air. Feraligatr moved under Darkrai and thrust a chilled fist into the dark type's face, knocking it out successfully.

"Darkrai is unable to battle, Feraligatr is the winner! Tobias will now use his third and final Pokemon!"

Charlotte and Fay turned to Lauren and Cody, both of whom sat silently.

"Tobias still has a third Pokemon…" Cody said.

" _Who're you rooting for!?_ " Warren shouted at him.

"Niko, that's some Feraligatr you've got there. Reminds me of another Pokemon I once faced—one of the few to defeat Darkrai."

Niko and Feraligatr stood there on the opposite end of the field, watching Tobias silently. Niko could feel Feraligatr's panting. One more to go, and he was already exhausted.

"Guzzlord," Tobias said.

Out of Tobias' Beast Ball came one of the most frightening creatures Niko has ever seen. For starters, it was nearly three times Feraligatr's height, and possibly several times his weight. It's most obvious feature is its massive mouth in the center of its belly, with several sharp fangs on the top and bottom jaw. Its insides were blue and within was a black tongue, along with several spikes. It had a small opening to the rest of its innards. It had two small arms located on the top of its head, each with three digits and yellow claws. A large pair of pincers were, in fact, part of its tongue.

Moreover, it had a pair of thick legs with a yellow zigzag pattern on its knees. It had several wing-like protrusions around its body, with a tail that resembled a medieval mace. On top of its head appeared to be a smaller head, both with blue eyes.

"What…the bloody hell is that thing…?" Lauren said in shock.

"It's an Ultra Beast," Fay said quietly, turning to Cody for his tablet. "Guzzlord, the…Junkivore Pokemon…it's a dark and dragon type, and its known as UB-Glutton. It's a dangerous Ultra Beast, and it appears to be eating constantly, but for some reason its droppings have never been found…"

"Which would mean that everything it consumes has to be converted into energy, right?" Jake theorized. "That's incredibly powerful."

"Exactly," Fay said, handing the tablet back. "Niko and Feraligatr are in for a real fight here."

"Um…Feraligatr…?" Niko asked. "Y-you ready?"

Feraligatr turned to Niko and nodded with an obvious expression on his face. He was more than ready.

"I'm glad one of us has confidence.

 _You need to, as well, Niko,_ Feraligatr thought to himself, _or else we'll lose._

"Feraligatr, use that new move!"

 _Hydro cannon!_ Feraligatr roared, summoning another ball of water and firing it at Guzzlord, who _ate_ the attack.

"WHAT!?" Niko stammered. "N-no!"

"Guzzlord, use dragon rush," Tobias commanded. The massive Pokemon shot forward, shaking the ground as it moved towards Feraligatr. The Big Jaw Pokemon conjured up a whirlpool and tossed it forward, barely fazing Guzzlord.

"Ice punch!" Niko shouted. Feraligatr met Guzzlord head-on, ramming a fist into Guzzlord's mouth and striking at its tongue. The Junkivore Pokemon roared out in pain before grabbing Feraligatr on both sides and shoving him inside.

" **Would you look at that, folks! Guzzlord just ate Feraligatr!** " President Goodshow shouted.

"Feraligatr, no!" Niko cried out. The Ultra Beast held Feraligatr inside its mouth in an attempt to swallow its opponent. However, Niko noticed something frantically moving inside. Feraligatr was putting up a real fight.

Suddenly, Guzzlord roared again, opening its mouth and spitting Feraligatr—now covered in a weird, translucent saliva—out. Niko noticed the walls of its mouth were frozen, slowly shattering as Guzzlord moved its mouth around to break the ice.

Without thinking, Feraligatr fired another hydro cannon, directly into Guzzlord's mouth. It exploded on contact with the tongue and filling the Ultra Beast's mouth with water.

"Guzzlord, draco meteor!" Tobias shouted. Niko could tell he was fired up now. Niko might have a chance at winning this now. The Ultra Beast conjured an orange ball of energy in its mouth, quickly melting away the ice and water inside. It fired forward at Feraligatr, who whipped up another whirlpool to throw. The whirlpool was no match for the draco meteor, which successfully hit Feraligatr and knocked him backwards. "Now, dragon rush!"

"Feraligatr, get up!" Niko shouted. "We can still win this! Ice punch!"

The Big Jaw Pokemon nodded, standing up and thrusting a frozen fist forward, striking directly at Guzzlord's closed mouth. The Ultra Beast roared out in pain, while Feraligatr clenched his teeth, trying to push back against the enormously heavy Pokemon. Both ended at a standstill.

Niko reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue Z-crystal.

"Feraligatr…let's finish this," Niko said solemnly, inserting the Waterium-Z into his ring. "Use Hydro Vortex!"

Tobias also withdrew his Z-ring, quickly shouting "Devastating Drake!" for Guzzlord to use. Feraligatr went first, whipping up a wave around Guzzlord and entangling it in a vortex of water before rocketing forward to strike the Ultra Beast, who was in the process of using its own Z-move. Guzzlord roared out in pain when Feraligatr moved past it. The water disappeared, and the Big Jaw Pokemon stood still on the other side of his opponent. He looked up briefly at Tobias and smirked.

Guzzlord then fell forward, causing the ground to shake violently around it.

"Guzzlord is unable to battle, Feraligatr is the winner! The victory goes to Niko from Pallet Town!"

" **WOW! Wow wow wow! Niko defeated the legendary trainer Tobias!** " Colton Goodshow shouted. "He advances to the next round!"

Niko let out a massive sigh of relief as he saw Feraligatr fall to his knees. Tobias returned Guzzlord and met Niko as he approached his Pokemon.

"Hey buddy…" Niko said calmly. "You did amazing. You've not only defeated a legendary Pokemon, but an Ultra Beast, too!"

"Both well-trained Pokemon. Niko, I underestimated you."

"You…did?"

"Well, I knew you were strong. Just…not that strong. If anyone deserves to challenge Ash Ketchum, it's going to be you. Those other trainers don't know what'll hit them."

"I appreciate the confidence, Tobias," Niko said before standing up again. He held out his hand. "Hopefully we get a chance to battle again one day."

Tobias smirked. "Of course, Niko."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Welp, could've made this one a little longer, but I'm thinking of splitting the Top 16 episode into two parts, since there's going to be some things to unpack in the aftermath of this episode. Regardless, I hope you've enjoyed, let me know what you think of this episode!**

 **PS-Is Feraligatr too OP now? I think I made him too OP now.**


	15. A long overdue conversation

**Episode 15: A long overdue conversation**

As usual, Warren rushed up to Niko and brought him into a tight hug. "You did it, man! You beat Tobias!"

"It's the first of, what, five battles?" Niko asked his friend. "But thanks, I appreciate that," he looked at all of his friends, each of whom congratulated him on his rather unlikely victory. "It's really because of my Pokemon, though."

"Your Feraligatr has gotten stronger," Lauren piped in. She had been silent until now and wore a kind smile. "Well, all of your Pokemon seem to have so far. I…saw your inverse battle, too. Didn't know your Hitmonchan could take hits like that."

Niko nodded. "Thanks, Lauren. I'll let them know that," he said as he hugged Charlotte. Niko didn't expect Lauren to be as kind as she was, yet he wasn't surprised at the same time. He knew that, despite her anger towards him, they were still friends. He personally held no animosity towards her. Lauren's feelings about him were fair from his point of view, and he deserved to be disliked for it. For a time, even he disliked himself.

"Let's go get something to eat, yeah?" Jake asked.

"What's with you and food recently?" Niko wondered as they all walked off.

* * *

"So every match is now full battles, right?" Brittany asked as they sat down to eat. This time, they were at some diner in downtown Castelia City, celebrating as Niko wanted to—casually. Her best friend was sitting next to her, with Lauren to her right.

"Yeah, and my opponent is the runner-up to last year's Lanakila Conference—the one before ours," Niko said as he looked at Charlotte. "So it should be a fun match, I think."

"Any idea on who you want to use?" Fay wondered. Jacob had to go back to their hotel suite for the night, citing stomach problems. So only Cody joined them for dinner.

"Not yet, no," Niko said. "Ideally Pokemon that I haven't used yet. This is as much their tournament as mine, and I'd like all of them to get a chance to battle at some point or another, you know?"

"Makes sense, as long as you're smart about it," Fay replied.

"My Pokemon are more than capable of handling these opponents."

"Most of them couldn't have defeated that Darkrai or Latios," Cody pointed out.

"Well, I knew Tobias would use them. That's why I brought Feraligatr with me. He's easily one of my strongest. Look, my Pokemon vary in their strengths, but that doesn't make them weak by any measure."

"Sure, sure," Cody retorted.

"You get the Pokemon team that you work for," Niko said before taking a bite from a sandwich. "That's what I believe in. My teams have worked much harder than they needed to; they can win some of these matches for sure."

"'Some,' but you'll be up against Champions eventually."

"That's not who my opponent tomorrow is," Niko argued back.

"Look—both of you stop. Niko will be fine," Charlotte interrupted.

"That's what I'm—"

"I know, but Cody gets it too."

Niko shook his head and continued eating. He just pulled off a win that very few trainers could—he didn't think it was the best time to be critiquing his battling performance.

The rest of that night consisted of idle chit-chat amongst friends. Niko exchanged potential strategies with Fay, Charlotte, and Cody while Jake got to know Kaila a bit better. Notably, Lauren seemed more comfortable now. Niko noticed this and, at one point, exchanged smiles with her. Things were looking up.

* * *

That evening, Niko was walking with Charlotte when they saw Brittany and Lauren walking nearby, but in a different direction.

"Hey, I think I should talk with her…" Niko proposed.

Charlotte looked up at him and, with gleaming hazel eyes, nodded simply. "Of course. It's been a while. I'll go walk with Brittany back to her hotel, how about that?"

"Works for me," Niko said, and the couple approached the two friends. "Lauren, can we talk for a moment?"

The purple and blue-haired young woman looked surprised at first, but quickly settled into comfort and nodded. Charlotte pried Brittany away and walked with her in the opposite direction, leaving the former couple alone for the first time in nearly three years.

"So…what's up?" Lauren asked as they walked over to a bench that sat in front of the Lugia statue—the same one Niko was at only a couple nights prior.

Niko sat there in silence for several long moments, trying to think of what to say first. It felt like a lot, even though only a few things were coming to mind. He hadn't seen or talked with this woman in years, where would he start! He felt like he wanted to tell her everything, and not in some sort of romantic way, but as a friend to another friend.

"I'm sorry…" Niko began, "for everything. First, for not reciprocating your feelings, then for leaving abruptly, and then for not talking to you again."

"I accept your apology," Lauren said, but Niko continued.

"Look, I was stressed out and didn't know what I wanted. I forfeited an important match because I lost all confidence in myself and my Pokemon. Hunter had finally gotten to my head, and I figured he was right—that training Pokemon wasn't for me. I wanted to quit being a trainer, and I did for a long time. But in that moment I felt like my world was being ripped apart—my Dad was dying, I was having a major crisis of confidence, and to be honest I didn't know how I felt about you. So when you told me that you loved me, I…well, I didn't know how to take it. No one had ever told me that before. I really am sorry about that."

Lauren put an arm over him and leaned in. "I'm sorry for being so passive aggressive last night. You didn't deserve it. If I'm being completely honest, I also didn't know how I felt about you. I felt like you needed someone there for you, and I really wanted to be that person. But I later realized that no one could have been. Brittany, JJ, and Jake filled me in on everything that happened after we talked. You were a hot mess and needed your space. They did the responsible thing and gave that to you. They were also furious, but that's neither here nor there.

"As for forfeiting—dude, being a Frontier Brain is hard work. Getting there is even harder. That battle against Palmer was tougher than it should have been for trainers of our skill level. We were way in over our heads. If I remember correctly, I barely won against him. You were going through a lot and gave up, and I think subconsciously so did your Pokemon. They're at their best when you are, too. Ever think about it like that?"

"I do a lot nowadays, actually."

"Exactly! As for your Dad dying…I'm sorry about that. I'm also sorry about JJ, too. But I saw what you all did near the Sinjoh Ruins…you're a real hero, Niko. And I'm so goddamn blessed to have dated someone like you, and to be your friend."

Niko laughed. "I could say the same, Miss Frontier Brain."

They hugged. "And Charlotte? She's a freakin' catch, Niko. You really lucked out on her."

"I think about that every day."

"Think you'll be with her forever?"

Niko thought about it for a moment. He truly hadn't thought about it that much, but maybe he subconsciously took it as fact that he would. "I would really like to."

"I think she would, too," Lauren said. "I'm really proud of you. You're a two-time league champion, and nearly became the Champion of an entire region! And now, you're vying for the World Champion title! Three years ago, I would have been mad jealous of you."

"But I'm not a Frontier Brain," Niko said with a wink, "I'm pretty jealous of you, too."

"It's not that glamorous."

"Well neither is being World Champion. I've seen the kinds of things Ash does. He's basically the protector of the planet. Him and the other Champions. It's intense."

"But it's something you'd be really good at. Plus, you seem to have a penchant for danger."

"My friends call that a 'hero complex,' but I like that phrase better."

Lauren snorted. "They're correct."

Niko playfully pushed her, and the two continued talking long into the night about their respective adventures; Niko enthralled her in some of his memories of Unova, Kalos, and Alola and the Pokemon he caught along the way; Lauren talked about the Battle Studio and some memorable battles she had there.

Off in the distance, Brittany and Charlotte sat at a bench and watched the two of them. "I think their talk went well," Brittany said.

"Yeah, I think Niko needed that."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Charlotte began, "it's the last vestige of that darker period in his journey. He's made peace with you, JJ, Jake, his Pokemon…but not Lauren. I think this will finally free him from all of that."

"I think that's pretty correct. You know, I don't know if I ever thanked you for helping get him out of that mood all of those years ago," Brittany said, looking directly at Charlotte. "We all really appreciate it."

"That was mostly Warren, though. He really pushed hard on Niko to go on an adventure. They just brought me along for the ride."

"Well, Niko told me that you were the first person to know about his backstory. He trusted you a lot more. He knew that you wouldn't judge him, and he was afraid of Warren doing that."

"I know that, but—" Charlotte paused, really letting those words sink in. "Yeah, you're right."

"There it is," Brittany said.

"There what is?"

"You and Niko are very lucky to have one another. You know that, right?"

"I think about that a lot, actually," Charlotte said.

* * *

" **Welcome to the fifth day of the 25th Pokemon World Tournament! I'm your host, Colton Goodshow, and today we continue with the second part of the competition! From here on out, all trainers will be battling with six Pokemon in full battles. Only 16 contestants remain! For our first match, we have Oliver from New Bark Town versus Champion Lance of the Kanto region!** "

 _Lance, huh?_ Niko thought to himself. He had seen the dragon master battle on numerous occasions throughout the tournament thus far, but never in a full battle. Here, the stakes were higher and therefore the trainers would be at their very best. At least, that's how he was treating it.

The battle took longer than normal—Oliver really put up a fight. However, he struggled the most with Lance's Mega Salamence, which made Niko believe that he wouldn't have done well against Drasna of Kalos' Elite 4. The Salamence was able to soundly defeat half of Oliver's team, including his Mega Charizard. Oliver barely got to Lance's fifth Pokemon before losing to Dragonite.

 _Wow, he's that tough…_ Niko thought. If he continued to win, eventually he'd probably have to face this particular Champion. If he wanted to win the entire thing, chances are he'd be facing a Champion at some point. There were too many in the battle already to not do so.

The next battle was Bonnie against Grimsley of Unova's Elite 4. She had a harder time than Lance did—particularly after Grimsley defeated her Tyrantrum with the dark type Z-move—Black Hole Eclipse. However, Niko noticed that she didn't get to her sixth Pokemon—she had only needed five to beat Grimsley. She was just as strong as Lance, maybe stronger. If he wanted to win, he was likely to have to face her as well.

Niko was the last one to go this time, and so by the end of all of the matches he knew just about everyone that was proceeding to the quarterfinals—Lance, Bonnie, Wallace, Alder, and a few others. Elliot ended up barely making it by etching out a win against a man with two different Ultra Beasts—one called Stakataka, and another called Celesteela, so he would join the other Champions (and hopefully Niko) in the Top 8.

" **And now for our final match of the day, we have Niko from Pallet Town versus Kim from Hau'oli City in Unova!** " Colton Goodshow declared.

The battlefields for this round switched halfway through, once a trainer lost three Pokemon to their opponent. The field for the first half was an ice battlefield, with small ponds that had even smaller floating glaciers inside. It was also hailing, and properly so.

Niko looked over at his opponent. She was tall and dark-haired with thin-rimmed glasses and a buttoned shirt that paired with a pair of skin-tight black pants. She smiled warmly at Niko before summoning her first Pokemon.

"Krookodile, I choose you!" she shouted, sending out the large red and black crocodile-like Pokemon.

"Pangoro, you're up!" Niko commanded, also summoning a dark type Pokemon of a similar size. "Use swords dance!"

"Krookodile, dig!" Kim shouted. The Intimidation Pokemon dug into the ice, careful not to hit one of the small pools. Meanwhile, transparent swords appeared around Pangoro as he focused himself. Then, when Niko saw Krookodile nearby through the ice, he commanded the Daunting Pokemon to use hammer arm.

"Now!" Niko commanded when Krookodile shot through the air. Pangoro slammed his fist downwards, shoving the crocodile back into its ice hole. "Now, use swords dance again!"

"Earthquake!" Kim cried out. Still in a daze, Krookodile aggressively shook the icy field around them before shooting out of the hole and, on Kim's command, using dragon claw to swipe at Pangoro.

"Sky uppercut!" Niko shouted. Pangoro thrust his fist upwards, connecting with Krookodile's elongated snout and knocking the Intimidation Pokemon backwards. "Now, use hammer arm!"

"Earthquake!"

The ground shook once more, causing Pangoro to stumble and slip on the ice. He fell to the ground, where Krookodile charged over and used foul play. It grabbed Pangoro, picked him up, and spun him around, eventually throwing him into one of the small pools of icy water.

"Pangoro, get up!" Niko shouted when his Pokemon went under. "Pangoro!"

Suddenly, he saw a hand latch onto the ice. Pangoro slowly lifted himself out of the water, his fur very wet. He adjusted the shoot in his mouth and growled at Krookodile. Kim then commanded her Pokemon to use dragon claw.

"Hammer arm!" Niko commanded. Pangoro charged across the ice without slipping, eventually connecting his entire arm with the side of Krookodile's face before getting slashed at by dragon claw. "Now, use sky uppercut!" he said. Pangoro thrust his other fist upwards, once more striking at Krookodile's long snout, and throwing the Intimidation Pokemon backwards and onto the ice, where it shattered the field beneath it. "Well done!"

"Krookodile is unable to battle, Pangoro is the winner! Kim will now send out her second Pokemon!" the referee declared.

"Kartana, I choose you!" Kim shouted, summoning one of the smallest Pokemon Niko had ever seen. It was only a foot tall and looked like it was weightless by the way it moved along the ground.

Kartana was a small, humanoid Pokemon that looked like it was made of origami. Its body was primarily white with a red underside. Its head seemed like it was folded inside its body. The head had a four-sided star in the center that functioned like a mouth and two horns or antennas protruding from the top. There were no discernible eyes or facial features on it. It had long, thin arms that resembled katanas, which connected to the center of its body through a yellow sheath-like area. It had three yellow protrusions by the sheath. Its body was completely flat.

 _Another Ultra Beast?_ Niko asked, looking at the ball it was sent out with.

"Kartana, the Drawn Sword Pokemon," Fay said as he read from Cody's tablet to their friends. "Grass and steel type. One of the Ultra Beast life forms, it was observed cutting down a gigantic steel tower with one stroke of its blade."

"That tiny little thing?" Jake said with surprise. "Oof, Pangoro is in for a tough fight here."

"Pangoro, do not underestimate this Pokemon. It's an Ultra Beast, and looks pretty fast," Niko cautioned. "Let's start off with swords dance!"

"X-scissor!" Kim commanded.

"Pangoro, hammer arm!" Niko said, immediately switching the move. Kartana didn't move blindingly fast, but certainly quicker than the Daunting Pokemon who, by comparison, brought down the hammer arm very slowly. Kartana swiftly evaded the fighting move before leaping onto Pangoro's arm and making an "x" with its arms. It slashed at Pangoro's face, knocking the Daunting Pokemon backwards.

"Aerial ace!" Kim shouted. Kartana shot back into the air. It spun several times as it descended, eventually slashing at Pangoro's stomach. The Daunting Pokemon let out a loud groan.

"You can do this, buddy! I believe in you!" Niko shouted. Pangoro slowly got back up, watching the Drawn Sword Pokemon quietly and quickly move along the icy floor. "It might be quicker, but we're stronger, right? Use hammer arm!"

"Kartana, leaf blade!" Kim commanded. Kartana shot forward again, leaping into the air with one of its arms glowing bright green. It slashed at Pangoro's side before landing behind the panda-like Pokemon. Pangoro subsequently collapsed forward in defeat.

"Pangoro is unable to battle, Kartana is the winner! Niko will now send out his second Pokemon!" the referee declared.

"Oh, damn," Warren said, "that thing is strong."

"It can be beaten, though," Charlotte said, "it's steel and grass, right? All Niko needs to do is turn up the heat."

That's exactly what Niko did. "Return, Pangoro. You did great, please get some rest. Lampent, you're up!"

"Be careful Kartana," Niko could hear Kim cautioning. "It's gonna use fire against you. You're stronger than that, though. Kartana, use aerial ace!"

"Flame burst!" Niko commanded. Lampent spun its iron arms around to conjure a ball of fire that it thrust forward at Kartana. The attack missed, as the Drawn Sword Pokemon swiftly evaded the attack and leapt forward to strike Lampent directly in the face, nearly shattering her glass head. Lampent crashed on its back near the ice. Niko noticed the Lamp Pokemon was melting it. _Hmm. I've got an idea_. "Lampent, flame burst on the ground!"

"Huh? Kartana, use aerial ace again!" Kim shouted, as it was the only move the Drawn Sword Pokemon could use effectively. Kartana charged once more at Lampent, its arms glowing bright white as it leapt upwards and slashed at Lampent, who managed to quickly re-orient herself before crashing into the now-melting battlefield. "Aerial ace!"

"Lampent, flame burst on Kartana!" Niko commanded. Lampent fired again, missing for the third time. Kartana thrust its opponent backwards and into the melting ice before jumping backwards and landing on one of the few solid chunks of ice left.

 _Okay, that didn't work. This thing is hard to hit…_ Niko said, _but once I do, it's over. It doesn't look like it can take a hit very well_. "Lampent, use inferno, and spin while you do it!"

"Kartana, aerial ace one more time!" Kim cried out. Kartana sped off just as Lampent fired the powerful blue burst of fire. Kartana, expectedly so, dodged it, and Lampent moved with it. Eventually, the Lamp Pokemon was spinning while spitting fire, creating a vortex of blue flames that Kartana couldn't avoid if it wanted to successfully strike. Before it was able to, however, Lampent turned up the heat and Kartana was hit by the inferno before it could even touch Lampent.

The Drawn Sword Pokemon fell forwards into the icy water, floating face-down.

"Kartana is unable to battle, Lampent is the winner! Kim will now send out her third Pokemon!"

"How in the hell…?" Lauren asked.

"It's been a while since you've seen Niko battle, right?" Brittany asked. "This is normal for him."

"Yeah, remember this is the guy that defeated an Onix by using vine whip to give his Bulbasaur more momentum," Fay added. "Sometimes his attacks don't make sense."

"Gengar, I choose you!" Kim shouted, summoning a familiar ghost-type Pokemon. "Use shadow ball!"

"Lampent, dodge and use will-o-wisp!" Niko commanded. Lampent swiftly evaded the spectral sphere while conjuring tiny blue flames and throwing them, one by one, at Gengar, who attempted to dodge them before getting hit by the last one. Niko noticed a small burn mark on Gengar's left arm. "Now, hex!"

"Dark pulse!" Kim shouted. Both attacks hit in the middle of the melted field and, as a result, forced both Pokemon to move in closer. "Shadow ball!"

"Flame burst!" Niko shouted. Once more, the attacks collided but caused flames to erupt everywhere, one of them striking Gengar where its burn was. "Follow up with hex!"

Lampent quickly whipped up another inky black and purple ball of dark energy and thrust it downwards a Gengar, precisely hitting the burn mark. Gengar roared out in pain before using a dark pulse in retaliation. Lampent rolled to the left to dodge the attack and followed up with another hex attack, this time missing Gengar.

"This is getting old," Kim said, lifting her wrist to reveal a Key Stone dangling from it. Niko hadn't noticed it before—her arm was sitting in a way that didn't show it immediately. He then noticed Gengar wearing a mega stone around its right leg.

 _I need to get better at paying attention to those sorts of things_ , Niko thought to himself.

"Gengar, mega evolve!" Kim shouted. The Shadow Pokemon was soon enveloped inside a sphere of energy, forcing it to change form.

Gengar's size didn't change much, but it looked radically different from before. Now, a portion of its body sunk into the ground—or space—around it. The lower portions turned a reddish purple, and a third eye appeared on its forehead. This new unblinking eye was oval-shaped and yellow. The spikes on Mega Gengar's back were more numerous and pointed. Additionally, spikes appeared on its hands and tail. Its ears were now considerably longer and projected backwards.

"Gengar can mega evolve!?" Lauren said gleefully. "I need to find this mega stone!"

"Let's take a trip to Kalos after this, then," Brittany said, equally cheerfully. "That's where most mega stones come from."

Lauren looked at her and nodded happily.

"Shadow punch!" Kim shouted. Mega Gengar then thrust its fist forward. It disappeared unexpectedly, and re-appeared right in front of Lampent, striking the Lamp Pokemon directly in the face and knocking her backwards. "Now, dark pulse!"

"Lampent, flame burst!" Niko commanded. Lampent reoriented herself and fired another small ball of fire, shooting it out at a high speed. It collided with the dark pulse and ripping through it en route to Mega Gengar, who dodged it and retaliated with another dark pulse. "Dodge it!"

Lampent wasn't able to fast enough and took the dark pulse to the face. She screeched loudly before she fell backwards into the water.

"Lampent is unable to battle, Mega Gengar is the winner! Niko will now send out his third Pokemon!" the referee declared.

"Return, Lampent. You defeated an Ultra Beast and held your own against a Mega Pokemon. I'm really proud of you. Now, Yanmega it's your turn!"

"Yanmega…?" Fay asked. "Really?"

"There isn't much of a field anymore," Brittany said with a laugh. "I think Niko would prefer to stick with things that can fly or float. The field will switch regardless of who defeats who."

"Yanmega, use ancient power!" Niko commanded. The Ogre Darner Pokemon summoned half a dozen rocks out of the ground below—under the chilly water, that is—and thrust them at Mega Gengar, who phased through each one before launching a shadow ball. "Double team!"

Yanmega duplicated himself several times, skillfully evading the dark pulse. Niko then commanded him to use air slash. All of the copies flapped their wings powerfully, sending light blue blades of cut air at Mega Gengar, who attempted to dodge them and quickly failed, taking many of the hits.

"Now ancient power!" Niko shouted. Yanmega swooped down as many of his copies disappeared and threw rocks at Gengar at close range.

"Shadow punch!" Kim shouted. Mega Gengar lifted one of its arms out of the void it was in and thrust it upwards at Yanmega, knocking him out of the air and into the water. "Shadow ball, now!"

"Double team!" Niko commanded, knowing that there wasn't much else Yanmega could do in a pool of icy water. The Ogre Darner Pokemon duplicated himself to give cover for his subsequent escape from the onslaught of shadow balls. Once he was back in the air, Mega Gengar fired a well-aimed shadow ball that struck Yanmega directly in the torso. "Bug buzz!"

Angry, Yanmega flapped his wings at a speed that emitted a loud, and rather annoying, sound. While Gengar, being a poison type, wasn't effected by the attack, it still seemed pissed off. In retaliation, it used sludge bomb, firing a purple ball of poison upwards at the bug type.

"Blow it up with air slash!" Niko commanded. Yanmega fired more blades of cut air at his opponent. "Now, follow up with ancient power!"

Yanmega fired more rocks at Mega Gengar, all of which managed to hit. Yanmega then dove back down and used air slash on the Shadow Pokemon before taking another shadow punch to the face.

"Gengar, shadow ball!" Kim shouted.

"Double team!" Niko commanded. "Now, all use bug buzz!"

Each of the Yanmega copies emitted the same loud, nasty sound from their wings that seemed to annoy the hell out of Mega Gengar. In response, it fired multiple shadow balls at a time.

"Now, air slash!" Niko commanded. One Yanmega rose above the others and slashed at the air, sending blue blades downwards on Mega Gengar, striking it successfully. Mega Gengar was thrust backwards through the air, crashing into the water. It subsequently reverted back to its prior form.

"Gengar is unable to battle, Yanmega is the winner! Now that one trainer has lost three Pokemon, we are at the halfway mark! The field will now change."

"Great job, Yanmega!" Niko said as the Ogre Darner Pokemon joined him off of the field. "You did a great job!"

They watched as the icy field—now melted—disappeared. In its place rose a brick-lain field, similar to one that Niko saw during the Lumiose Conference.

" **Halfway through this battle and Niko has the advantage!** " Colton Goodshow declared, " **Wouldn't you agree, Ash?** "

Ash Ketchum, sitting in the box next to the President of the Pokemon League, nodded with a smirk. "He's doing really good so far."

" **I'd think so, too! However, Kim may still be saving her best for last!** "

"The battle will now resume," the referee declared.

"You wanna keep going?" Niko asked Yanmega. The Ogre Darner Pokemon nodded with a look of determination. "Then I choose you, Yanmega!"

Kim smirked. "Blacephalon, I choose you!" she shouted, summoning one of the most bizarre-looking Pokemon Niko had ever seen, Guzzlord excluded.

"What…is that…?" Niko asked, eyes wide.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Looks like Niko's battle will get a little tougher now. What else might Kim have in her back pocket, and how will Niko combat them? Hope you enjoyed!**


	16. Exploding heads and magnetic rocks

**Episode 16: Exploding heads and magnetic rocks**

"The battle will now resume," the referee declared.

"You wanna keep going?" Niko asked Yanmega. The Ogre Darner Pokemon nodded with a look of determination. "Then I choose you, Yanmega!"

Kim smirked. "Blacephalon, I choose you!" she shouted, summoning one of the most bizarre-looking Pokemon Niko had ever seen, Guzzlord excluded.

"What…is that…?" Niko asked, eyes wide.

It was a Pokemon with a humanoid figure, slender torso, and wide hips. Its legs were white with balls on the front, a pink one on the left leg and a blue one on the right leg. Its feet were shaped as if it were wearing high-heeled boots with pointed tips. The main body was yellow with alternating pink and blue stripes. It had a white ball on its chest and one as a tail. Its right arm was pink and its left blue. Its hands were white and had frills on the wrists. A larger frill hung around its neck and in the middle was a hole.

The most recognizable part of its body was its head, which was essentially a white ball. It had a multitude of pink and blue dots littered around it. On both sides of the head were stars with alternating pink and blue colors. In the middle of the stars were yellow spots which looked like eyes.

"This thing is crazy!" Jacob exclaimed as he, Fay, and Cody leaned over the tablet to look at Blacephalon.

"Blacephalon, the Fireworks Pokemon. Fire and ghost type. It slithers toward people. Then, without warning, it triggers the explosion of its own head."

"…oh dear," Warren said.

"Yanmega, let's go! Use ancient power!" Niko commanded. He knew close to nothing about Blacephalon—it was one of the few Ultra Beasts that he didn't learn much about.

"Use shadow ball!" Kim commanded, thrusting a hand out. Blacephalon brought its hands together and fired off an inky black ball of spectral energy. The attack was swiftly blocked by Yanmega's ancient power, which caused the shadow ball to prematurely explode. "Fire blast!"

"Yanmega, use double team!" Niko commanded. Blacephalon brought its hands together once more to create a five-pointed flame, eventually firing it upwards at Yanmega. One of the duplicates took the attack and, in response, all fired air slashes downwards at the Fireworks Pokemon. "Ancient power again!" Niko shouted.

"Dodge them!" Kim commanded. Blacephalon leapt through the air, jumping in and out, under and over each of the rocks while closing the distance between it and Yanmega. She was up to something, clearly. "Now, fire blast again!"

"Yanmega, double team and ancient power!" Niko commanded. The Ogre Darner Pokemon, now closer to his opponent, duplicated himself just before the fire blast hit. However, the embers from the attack flew in different directions, leaving a burn on the real Yanmega's right wing. "Air slash!"

"Dodge it," Kim said calmly. She was preparing for something, Niko could tell. No one is that calm unless they're confident enough in their next move. Blacephalon leapt up and over the air slash, splitting its legs to do so. When it landed, Niko saw its head shimmering: the pink and blue dots were alternating colors.

"Yanmega, prepare yourse—"

"Use mind blown!" Kim shouted.

Blacephalon picked up its expanded head and threw it at Yanmega, who reflexively used double team to evade the attack. However, the resulting explosion hit every single duplicate—including the real Yanmega—and thrust the bug type backwards towards Niko. Yanmega crashed hard into the brick ground, smoke billowing from his face and torso.

"Yanmega is unable to battle, Blacephalon is the winner!" the referee declared. "Niko will now use his fourth Pokemon!"

"Return, Yanmega. You defeated a mega Pokemon and did your best against an Ultra Beast that you weren't as familiar with. Thanks, buddy. Vaporeon, I choose you!"

"Good choice—that Vaporeon is pretty strong for its age," Warren commented. "Although I'm not sure it can face up to Blacephalon. That Pokemon seems really strong."

"The mind blown move really hurts—both Pokemon," Fay added, lifting up the tablet. "I mean think about it—the thing just threw its own exploding head at Yanmega. Obviously that's going to hurt Blacephalon, too."

"So there's a chance it just screwed itself over?"

"That's absolutely the case here," Fay replied.

"Vaporeon, use water pulse!" Niko shouted. The Bubble Jet Pokemon opened her mouth and summoned a pulsating orb of water, firing it across the field towards Blacephalon, who blocked it with shadow ball.

"Use psychic!" Kim commanded. Blacephalon's eyes started to glow, and suddenly Vaporeon was lifted into the air and thrust forwards, where the Fireworks Pokemon followed up with shadow ball. The water type fell to the ground afterwards, slowly getting back up.

"Hydro pump!" Niko shouted.

"Fire blast!" Kim cried out. Both attacks hit simultaneously, creating a quickly-expanding cloud of mist that covered the field. "Shadow ball!"

"Water pulse!" Niko shouted, unsure how well Vaporeon could see in the mist. As it turned out, she could see quite well—matching every shadow ball that Blacephalon threw at her with a water pulse. As the mist began to disappear, and Niko could also see the battle raging, he decided it would be time to get a little closer. "Use aqua tail!"

"Psychic!" Kim said. Blacephalon's eyes once more started to glow, but Vaporeon beat it to the punch, flipping forward and slamming her tail on top of its head. Blacephalon tried to reach for its opponent and missed, frantically waving it arms up and around. Vaporeon then landed behind her opponent, ready to strike again.

"Use hydro pump!" Niko shouted. Vaporeon cried loudly, firing a high-pressured blast of water at Blacephalon's back, thrusting it forward across the field towards Niko. The Ultra Beast crashed in front of its opponent's trainer, struggling to get back up. Then Niko noticed its head roll off of its body.

"Blacephalon is unable to battle, Vaporeon is the winner! Kim will now use her fifth Pokemon!" The judge declared.

"Return, Blacephalon. Well done—Golem, I choose you!" she said, throwing out what should have been a familiar Pokemon. It was Golem, to be sure, but of the Alolan variety.

"This Golem is rock and electric type," Fay said, "I suppose they have an advantage against one another here."

Its arms were shorter than an ordinary Golem's, with two claws on its hands and feet. The face attracted iron sand, giving it the appearance of thick eyebrows, mustache, and beard. Above its head were two large black rocks jutting out of its body. On the inner edge of the rocks were three golden dots. In-between the two rocks was a shorter black rock.

"Alolan variant…it's electric type, I think," Niko muttered, thinking back to when he, Charlotte, and Warren met some Alolan Geodude and Graveler, both of whom were electric type. "Vaporeon, use water pulse!"

"Discharge!" Kim shouted. Golem lowered its head, better exposing the black rocks. Electricity then charged up inside and fired out from between the rocks, colliding with the water pulse and exploding. "Now, use stone edge!"

"Aqua tail!" Niko shouted, hoping to replicate the same strategy he used against Blacephalon. This one would be far more dangerous due to Golem's electrified head, but it was possible. "Strike at the side instead, Vaporeon," he said.

Vaporeon weaved in and out of the pointed rocks erupting out of the ground. She then lunged forward before spinning her body counter-clockwise to hit Golem's left side. Golem, however, managed to grab the slick tail of the Bubble Jet Pokemon and throw her down onto the ground.

"Thunder punch!" Kim commanded. With the same hand, Golem sent electricity surging through Vaporeon, whose tail was still briefly flowing with water. Vaporeon screeched out loudly, reflexively firing a water pulse at Golem's face, causing it to burst on the iron sand-facial hair and force the Megaton Pokemon to let go. "Discharge!"

"Hydro pump!" Niko shouted. Both attacks exploded on contact, knocking both backwards. Golem rolled to the side and Vaporeon slid backwards across the brick ground. He then noticed Kim's Z-ring glowing. "Vaporeon, watch out!"

"Gigavolt Havoc!" she roared. Golem gathered an intense amount of electric energy above its head, originating just above the two black rocks protruding upwards, and fired the massive collection at Vaporeon, who was too slow to dodge the attack. It exploded on contact. Once the smoke dissipated, Vaporeon had stopped moving, save for slow breathing.

"Vaporeon is unable to battle, Golem is the winner! Niko will now use his fifth Pokemon!"

"It's tied again," Warren said, "does he have anything else that can beat that?"

"Plenty," Charlotte said without hesitation.

"Aggron, I choose you!" Niko shouted, summoning the Iron Head Pokemon. "Use dig!"

"Golem use discharge!" Kim shouted. Aggron dug deep into the ground, shattering the bricks around him as he began. Fortunately, he was able to dig quickly enough to dodge the mass of electricity heading his way. Then, unexpectedly, he shot upwards, striking Golem from underneath and launching it into the air.

"Grab it!" Niko shouted. Aggron latched onto one of Golem's feet. "Now pull it in and use iron head!"

Aggron did as he was told, thrusting Golem downwards and slamming it spiked head into the Megaton Pokemon before throwing it onto the ground.

"Autotomize!" Niko shouted. Aggron started to shine a light gray color, lightening his steel armor and allowing him to move slightly faster. "Now, use iron tail!"

"Golem, grab it with thunder punch!" Kim shouted. The Megaton Pokemon attempted to grab onto the fast-moving steel tail, only to have its hand knocked away in the process. Aggron was must faster now. "Get up and use earthquake!"

"Aggron iron head!" Niko shouted. Aggron lowered his spiked head and shoved it forward, crashing into Golem and dragging the Megaton Pokemon across the brick field, towards the left edge. "Autotomize!"

Aggron started to glow again, but only briefly before Golem shook the ground aggressively. Aggron attempted to move away but found himself stuck between the black rocks on Golem's head.

At first, Niko was confused. Why couldn't Aggron move? _Those black rocks…_ he thought to himself, _those are magnets. Aggron is a steel type. He is being attracted by the magnetic pull of Golem's body_. "Use iron head!"

Aggron briefly moved his head backwards before shoving it again forward, crashing into Golem's body. He tried to use autotomize to get away, but the pull was too strong. Niko needed a way out.

He looked down at his Key Stone—the stone he didn't even need to mega evolve, as the energy that the Key Stone provided was inside of his body. Nevertheless, he lifted it up so Aggron could see. "Aggron, mega evolve!"

The energy transferred from Niko to Aggron was enough to detach the Iron Head Pokemon, at least temporarily. Aggron changed forms, growing into his evolved state—a much larger, thicker Aggron that shed his rock typing.

"Golem, use earthquake!"

"Iron tail!" Niko shouted. Now that Aggron was detached, he had more freedom to use attacks. That, on top of the speed gained from autotomize, allowed the steel type to smack Golem in the side with iron tail before taking the damage from earthquake, "Now, use dig!"

"Earthquake again!" Kim shouted. However, Mega Aggron was much faster, and managed to dig directly under Golem, thrusting it high into the air.

Niko waited for it to descend before commanding another move. "Aggron, use iron head!"

Aggron burst forward, his head glowing a light gray color. He charged at Golem and pounded his spiked head into the Megaton Pokémon's body, dragging it along the brick battlefield until they reached Kim. Aggron then raised his head and stared at his opponent's Pokemon, who lay in defeat.

"Golem is unable to battle, Mega Aggron is the winner! Kim will now send out her sixth and final Pokemon!" the referee declared.

"Well done, Aggron!" Niko shouted. Suddenly, the Iron Head Pokemon charged over to him to give him a back-breaking hug. "Err…OUCH…thanks, buddy," he said, exhausted both from the battle and now from the hug. "Wanna keep going?"

Aggron nodded, turning back to Kim to await their next—and final—opponent.

"Floatzel, I choose you!" Kim shouted, summoning the orange Sea Weasel Pokemon.

Niko looked at Aggron and nodded. "Let's win this. Aggron use autotomize!"

"Aqua jet!" Kim commanded. The Sea Weasel shot forward, it's body covered in a thick veil of pure blue water. It struck Aggron just as the Iron Head Pokemon finished shedding weight from its body. "Now, aqua tail!"

"Aggron, iron tail!" Niko commanded. Mega Aggron spun around, just as Floatzel did. Both tails collided at the same time with nearly enough force to knock either one aside. However, they merely stood there for several moments, neither letting go. Aggron then pushed a little more, eventually overcoming his opponent and causing Floatzel to continue spinning. "Now, iron head!"

"Floatzel, dodge it and use focus blast!" Kim shouted. The Sea Weasel Pokemon nodded, using aqua jet briefly to evade the powerful steel type and subsequently fired off a blast of condensed, pure energy at Aggron, who took the hit and collapsed to one knee.

Niko felt the attack in his own stomach as he too fell onto a knee, which thoroughly confused Lauren. "Is…is he okay?" she asked.

"Long story," Charlotte said, "we'll fill you in later."

"Aggron,…use dig!" Niko said, trying to find the breath to utter the words. Aggron obeyed, digging into the brick ground once more. "Wait…for it…now!"

"Floatzel, focus blast!" Kim shouted, just as Aggron erupted from the ground. However, he didn't come out from the place she thought. Instead, the Iron Head Pokemon leapt out from in front, not behind, Floatzel. Mega Aggron spun around and slammed his tail into Floatzel, knocking the Sea Weasel Pokemon across the field.

"Return, Aggron," Niko said, exhausted. "Let's…save you for later, if need be. I want to give everyone a chance to battle. Luxray, I choose you!"

Out of Niko's final pokéball came Luxray, the Gleam Eyes Pokemon. Immediately, Niko commanded him to use electric terrain, which electrified the battlefield and gave it a uniquely yellow glow. Kim responded by commanding Floatzel to use focus blast again, which was blocked by Luxray's discharge, causing the attack to prematurely explode.

"Aqua jet!" Kim shouted. Niko wasn't exactly sure what her strategy was by getting in so close, but he went along with it.

"Thunder fang!" Niko shouted. Luxray's fang lit up with electricity as he anticipated his opponent's attack. Floatzel quickly made its way across the battlefield before colliding with Luxray, who furiously bit down on the Sea Weasel Pokémon's orange-furred arm. "Now, use discharge!"

"Focus blast!" Kim commanded. Luxray was about to release all of his stored electricity just as Floatzel conjured and fired a sphere of pure energy at Luxray. Both Pokemon were thrown back as Luxray let go of his opponent. The Gleam Eyes Pokemon rolled for a bit before slowly getting back onto his feet. Floatzel did the same, albeit slower. "Use ice beam!"

"Luxray, discharge!" Niko shouted. Once more, the attacks met in the middle of the field and exploded prematurely. Through the dust, though, Luxray charged down the battlefield, fangs filled with electricity. "Use thunder fang!"

"Ice beam!" Kim shouted. Floatzel fired a beam of ice not at Luxray, but at the beaten ground beneath him. Luxray subsequently slipped on the ice and fell face-first, disrupting his attack. "Now, focus blast!"

"Luxray, get up!" Niko shouted. Luxray took yet another hit from the focus blast before slowly getting back up. It made Niko slightly lucky that he didn't have a mega stone for Luxray, either. "Use discharge!"

"Block it with ice beam!" Kim shouted. Once more, Luxray was hit directly with the ice beam. However, he managed to release the discharge which, powered by electric terrain, managed to hit Floatzel and subsequently paralyze the Sea Weasel Pokemon. That's where Niko found his opportunity.

He reached for his pocket, picking out a yellow Z-crystal. "I haven't used this very much but…Luxray, let's finish this! Use Gigavolt Havoc!"

Like Golem before him, Luxray used the Z-energy transferred to him by Electrium-Z to collect electric energy into a ball in front of him. Once it was large enough, he roared out and fired the ball directly at Floatzel, causing an explosion that sent the water type rocketing backwards. Floatzel landed at its trainers feet, now in defeat.

"Floatzel is unable to battle, Luxray is the winner! The victory goes to Niko from Pallet Town!"

" **And there it is, folks! Niko from Pallet Town is the last competitor to advance to the quarterfinals!** " Colton Goodshow declared. " **Congrats to Niko!** "

In the waiting room, Niko sat down on one of the satin couches to take a breath. He wasn't too exhausted, to be sure, but he did need to rest for a moment. Elliot, who had barely made it to the quarterfinals, sat down next to him.

"You didn't do too bad there," he said. "That might've been one of your best battles here."

Niko smirked. "Yeah, I guess so. Kim caught me off guard a few times, but otherwise it wasn't too bad. Those Ultra Beasts, man…"

"I didn't know much about them until now, really. Even when I was in Alola I didn't spend a lot of learning about them. Trainers usually didn't have them. So…I guess it makes sense that they do now. These are some of the strongest trainers, you know."

Niko nodded. "Yeah, makes sense. Hey, have you seen Oliver?"

"Oliver? No, he just left I think."

Niko was about to stand up and leave when the monitor on the wall turned back on, with Colton Goodshow's face staring out of it.

" **Good afternoon, everyone! Since we have know who the participants of the quarterfinals will be, let us now reveal which trainers will face off against whom in the next round tomorrow!** "

Eight profiles, including Niko's and Elliot's, appeared on the screen before flipping over and randomly move about before flipping back over into four neat pairs.

As expected, Niko and Elliot were both against Champions. Elliot would be facing Lance, and Niko would be against Wallace, the Champion of the Hoenn region.

"Well, best of luck tomorrow," Niko said, slapping Elliot's back.

"Thanks, err, same to you," Elliot replied.

* * *

"Great job, Niko!" Lauren said as they all reunited with him minutes later. "That was a great match! Your Pokemon really have gotten stronger!"

"You haven't seen all of them yet," Niko said with a wink before hugging Charlotte and his mother.

"Now you've got a Champion to face," Fay said, "think you can handle it?"

Niko looked at Charlotte and the others before turning to Fay, and nodding. "I think so. He specialized in water types, right? I think I can take those on."

"They won't be as easy as that Floatzel, though," Fay continued.

"I know, and Luxray isn't my strongest electric type. I also have stronger grass types. I think we can handle it."

"I'm excited to see it," Fay replied.

"Have any of you seen Oliver, by chance?" Niko asked. Jake nodded, pointing towards the lobby. "Thanks, I'll meet you guys for dinner in a bit, alright?"

He waded through the crowds until he got to the main lobby, split in half by the front walkway. Oliver was off to the far east end, unfortunately on the opposite side of the entrance as Niko was. Slowly, but surely, he made his way through the crowds and into the east lobby, which was emptier than he imagined it would be. Oliver noticed him and smiled, waving weakly.

"Congrats on advancing!" Oliver said, making room for Niko on the couch he was sitting on.

"How're you doing?" Niko asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, could be better. Thought I had a shot against Lance. Guess not. You know that Elliot guy, right?" Niko nodded. "He's in for one hell of a fight."

"He knows it, too, which is weird. Elliot is usually the confident one between the two of us."

"Oh, I can see that. Your fight looks tough, too. Although I would figure Wallace is an easier opponent to combat than Lance."

"But not out of the realm of difficulty, I'd think," Niko added. "Water types aren't easy to beat. Ask your Greninja."

"Or your Feraligatr," Oliver said with a wink.

"I'm proud of you, Oliver," Niko said calmly. When Oliver looked confused, he elaborated. "You've only been a trainer for, what, two years now? You decided that you were ready to take on the Pokemon World Tournament. Even Charlotte didn't think she was ready for that."

"I disagree," Oliver said.

"So do I, if we're being honest," Niko said, "but she will be next time."

"Yeah, and she'll have to face you when you're World Champion."

Niko genuinely laughed. "You're hilarious."

"No, I mean it, Niko. You say you're proud of me, but you're the whole reason I became as confident as I am. I entered because of our battle in the Lumiose Conference and, after another year of training, I believed that I was ready to take on the toughest of trainers. I guess I just need more experience."

"Yeah. In seven years it'll be you and Charlotte vying to challenge me," Niko said with a wink. In his mind, he was only partly joking. Now that he was getting closer to the end of this, he started to believe that he could challenge Ash Ketchum. But he also knew, from experience, that he needed to take these things one step at a time.

"Of course," Oliver held his hand out. "Kick ass, Niko. I'll be watching from the sidelines. I fully expect you to win the entire thing."

Niko nodded. "I'll do my best."

"I know you will," Oliver said before standing up. "I'll catch ya later."

* * *

Niko sat down in his hotel room looking at his various Pokemon (in their pokéballs, that is). He knew he wanted to use grass types, the question was which ones to use. He looked down at his pendant holding his Key Stone, and knew that he planned to use Venusaur, at least. It would be the first time they had battled since their fight with Ferdinand Diamond, and Niko was secretly worried that they would accidentally use that one move again, whatever it was. Besides that, he was still somewhat clueless.

He was running through some of Wallace's Pokemon in his head before hearing a knock on the door. Before he was on his feet, Charlotte had answered it.

It was Ash and a honey-blonde woman.

"Oh, hi!" Charlotte said with surprise. "Niko, it's Ash!"

Niko got up and walked towards the door, which was fully ajar now. "Hi, Ash?"

"Hey. How're you doing?"

"I'm doing fine. What's up?"

"Just checking in on you. I also never got a chance to introduce you to my wife, Serena. Serena, this is Niko and his girlfriend Charlotte."

"Hi! Ash has told me a lot about you, Niko. Thank you for all that you've done to help him and Cynthia."

"It was no problem at all," Niko said as he shook Serena's hand.

"Niko," Ash began, "you've got some tough matches ahead of you. I just wanted to stop by and let you know that you can come talk to me if you're having any issues. Also to wish you the best of luck."

"Err, thanks," Niko said, "I appreciate that."

"Absolutely. Now, we've got to get going. Good luck tomorrow. Of all of the Champions, Wallace is certainly one of the more entertaining ones to battle."

"What about Bonnie?" Serena asked, almost defensively.

"She's something else, but fun nevertheless," Ash said with a slight laugh. "See you tomorrow, Niko."

Niko closed the door and turned to Charlotte, who had a smile that stretched from both sides of her face. "What?"

"The World Champion is looking out for you, that's awesome," she said in awe. "Also his wife is wonderful."

Niko looked back at the door before nodding. "Yeah, I think so too. Not sure what to make of it, though."

"I think he secretly wants you to be his challenger," Charlotte said in a low voice, as if worried that people were eavesdropping on them. Niko raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What?"

"The chances of me getting there are—"

"One in eight. Those are good odds, I think. Plus, you can do this. You've beaten water type trainers several times before."

"Yes, but they weren't a Champion. I've never beaten one of those."

"And tomorrow will be the first time!" Charlotte said excitedly. "C'mon, Niko! Have a little confidence!"

"I do…just in my Pokemon," Niko said, leading Charlotte back to his table. "Now, I'm unsure of who to use for my fifth and sixth Pokemon…" he said, sitting down with his girlfriend, who spent the remainder of the night working through the strategic planning of his quarterfinal battle.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Yes, I'm an Amourshipper. Sue me.**


	17. The Lover of Water

**Episode 17: The Lover of Water**

" **Welcome to the sixth day of the 25th Pokemon World Tournament! I'm your host, Colton Goodshow, and we're here live from Castelia City! Over the past several days, some of the strongest trainers from all over the world have been facing off against one another, all vying to take the title of World Champion! We are now down to eight trainers, and over the following couple of days we will find out which of these eight is ready for the task of challenging the incumbent World Champion—Ash Ketchum!**

" **For our first match, we have Niko from Pallet Town versus the Champion of the Hoenn region, Wallace from Sootopolis City!** "

Niko stood up at the same time Wallace did. The Champion of Hoenn turned to him and smiled warmly. He was a tall, thin, middle-aged man with light blue eyes and teal blue hair that curled gracefully around his head and the white beret atop it. He had long, white pants that were connected to his teal upper shirt, leaving spots open near his stomach. He wore a purple undershirt that covered only part of his chest. He had green, transparent stripes from his shoulders and a small, ripple-edged white cape. Lastly, Niko noticed a Key Stone sitting around his neck, as well as a Z-ring on his wrist.

"Did you challenge the Alola trials?" Niko asked before they walked out.

"It was a gift from the Tapus to the Champions," Wallace explained, "very unconventional, but Hau is a gracious Champion, and was able to convince the Island Deities."

Niko nodded. He noticed Wallace's voice was high-pitched and kind. He hardly seemed like a threatening opponent.

"I've watched your battles closely, Niko, and I am excited to see what you bring to the table today. Best of luck," he held out his hand.

"Likewise," Niko said, returning the handshake.

Minutes later, they opposed one another on a mountainous battlefield. To their left and right there were steep hills with water flowing down them into medium-sized ponds. In the middle was a small path of grass that moved in a random fashion across the field. The referee explained the rules of the match, as usual, before permitting Niko and Wallace to begin.

"Starmie, I choose you!" Wallace shouted, throwing out a lure ball and summoning the Mysterious Pokemon.

"Magneton, you're up!" Niko said, throwing out a pokéball containing the Magnet Pokemon. "Let's start off with thunderbolt!"

"Starmie, block it with a thunderbolt of your own!" Wallace said calmly. Both Pokemon fired off electricity at one another, causing a brief explosion in the middle of the field. Magneton then shot forward, aiming to get closer. It used sonicboom on Niko's command, striking Starmie directly. "Signal beam!"

"Sonicboom again!" Niko shouted.

"Why does Magneton still use sonicboom?" Jacob asked, "Niko is in the World Tournament—no one uses that," no one seemed to have an answer.

"His Magneton is still strong, regardless," Charlotte added, "I think he'll be fine."

The two attacks collided once more, causing a smaller explosion that dissipated quickly once Magneton fired another thunderbolt. However, this time it was blocked by Starmie, who used psychic to re-direct the attack back at the Magnet Pokemon, who simply absorbed it.

"Psychic again!" Wallace shouted. The red gem on Starmie's body started shimmering, allowing it to take control of Magneton. "Throw it to the right!" Wallace commanded. The Mysterious Pokemon thrust Magneton hard to the right and into the water. The Magnet Pokemon screeched as it tried to escape the water crashing down on it, which didn't seem to be entirely comfortable. "And thunderbolt!"

Starmie let go of Magneton and immediately fired a bolt of electricity at the pond, causing it to explode with Magneton inside. The trio of magnets rocketed backwards out of the pond, smoke billowing from all angles of it.

"Are you okay, buddy?" Niko asked. _This guy isn't messing around._ Magneton turned to Niko and made a light vibrating sound. Niko had begun to learn the Magnet Pokémon's way of speaking a couple of years ago, and knew the lighter sounds were more positive. "Alright, let me know if you need to switch out, alright? Magneton, use magnet bomb!"

"Thunderbolt!" Wallace commanded. Starmie fired off another charged blast of electricity, destroying the magnet bombs all at once. However, it seemed to be merely a distraction, as Magneton took the time to hover upwards and rain down a thunderbolt from above, catching Starmie off guard and successfully paralyzing it.

"Now's our chance, Magneton!" Niko shouted as his Pokemon lowered back to the ground. "Our finishing move—zap cannon!"

Magneton made a loud whirring sound as it prepared the absurdly powerful electric move that seemed to require more electric energy than Magneton normally produced. Starmie attempted to fire off signal beams and command use of its psychic abilities, but by the time it was successful, Magneton was moving at a speed that the Mysterious Pokemon couldn't keep up with.

"NOW, FIRE!" Niko bellowed out, thrusting a hand forward. Magneton fired the zap cannon. A loud crackling sound, similar to a bomb going off, echoed throughout the stadium as Magneton blasted Starmie with an intense amount of electricity. Once the smoke disappeared from the battlefield, Starmie lay on its back in defeat.

"Starmie is unable to battle, Magneton is the winner! Champion Wallace will now send out his second Pokemon!"

"Starting out strong!" Warren shouted, "That's my friend Niko!"

"Return, Starmie. Well done, Niko. I've fought a fair amount of Magneton in my time—they're native to the Hoenn region, too—and that is probably the most powerful one I've battled. Swampert, I choose you!"

"What do you say, Magneton? You wanna fight this one?" Niko asked. Magneton turned to Niko, looking unsure of himself. "It's okay if you don't. I know you're pretty tired from that fight with Starmie, plus using zap cannon."

Magneton thought for a moment before turning its back on Niko. It was ready to face Swampert.

"Hmm, it's got grit, too. Swampert, use earth power!"

"Magneton, use sonicboom!" Niko shouted. Magneton spun around around fast enough to release a soundwave across the battlefield towards Swampert. The Mud Fish Pokemon slammed its head into the sonicboom, causing it to explode prematurely. Wallace's Pokemon hardly seemed fazed and continued with its attack. It lifted its arms high into the air and slammed them into the ground, causing the earth underneath them to ripple as it moved towards Magneton. "Dodge it! Get higher into the air!"

Magneton did as it was told, and shot directly upwards, just in time to miss the attack. However, Niko pulled out Magneton's pokéball. "Return, buddy. I know you want to fight, but I also might need you for later. I'm sorry. Chesnaught, I choose you!"

Wallace smirked. "This should be fun. Swampert, use focus blast!"

"Block it with seed bomb!" Niko commanded. The Spiny Armor Pokemon opened his mouth and fired glowing green seeds at his opponent, colliding with the focus blast prematurely. "Now, use needle arm!"

"Focus blast again!" Wallace commanded. The Mud Fish Pokemon fired another sphere of pure energy at Chesnaught, who slammed his arm into it, causing it to explode in his face and forcing him to stumble backwards. "Now, ice beam!"

"Spiky shield!" Niko shouted. Chesnaught spun around quickly and got onto his knees, allowing his spiky shell to take the hit instead. "Well done, now use seed bomb!"

"Ice beam again!"

Once more, both attacks ended in a stalemate, with Swampert skillfully firing the ice beam to blow up the seeds before they could reach it.

Niko then notice Wallace whip out his Key Stone. The Swampertite slung around the Mud Fish Pokémon's neck then began to glow. "Swampert, mega evolve!" the Champion shouted.

Swampert suddenly began to grow much larger a bulkier. Its upper body and arms became more muscular, bulging compared to its squat lower body. The orange padding on Swampert's thighs vanished, but it gained two additional patches of orange padding on each wrist and another patch on each shoulder. This padding and its hills turned into a darker, redder shade of orange, while the gills were larger and more bulbous, with filaments extending past its mouth. The black fins on its head were thicker and extended past its shoulders. The black tail fin now extended upwards along its back to its forehead, flanked on either side by head-fins.

"Geez…that's an intense-looking Pokemon," Lauren said quietly.

"Isn't it? Mega Swampert looks amazing!" Jake, who owns a Swampert, replied.

"Swampert, use earth power!" Wallace commanded. Swampert threw its two powerful hands towards the ground, causing the earth underneath it to ripple violently towards Chesnaught, who spun around again to use spiky shield and block the attack. "Now, use focus blast!"

"Chesnaught, seed bomb!" Niko shouted. The attack resulted in another stalemate—he needed to do something. "Needle arm now!"

"Ice beam!" Wallace shouted. Swampert sprayed the stream of ice energy at Chesnaught, who moved left and right in a serpentine motion to dodge the attack, eventually getting hit in the right arm—the same arm it used to attack.

"Go for it!" Niko shouted. Swampert hadn't gotten hit with an attack yet—Chesnaught needed to change that. The Spiny Armor Pokemon slammed his arm across Mega Swampert's face, knocking the Mud Fish Pokemon to the side. It quickly caressed its face before returning the favor with a punch of its own. Chesnaught blocked it with hammer arm and retaliated with a needle arm to the opposite side, causing Mega Swampert to groan lowly.

"Ice beam!" Wallace shouted just as the two Pokemon unlocked their arms. Chesnaught was stricken in the chest and knocked backwards towards the pond of water. "Focus blast!"

"Seed bomb!" Niko shouted. Chesnaught was only slightly slower, so the collision of the two moves hit closer to him, the force of which knocked him backwards into the water. "Chesnaught! Get back up!"

"Ice beam!"

Mega Swampert fired an ice beam directly at the pond, instantly freezing it and trapping half of Chesnaught's body inside.

"Use hammer arm on the ice!" Niko shouted, noticing how only half of his Pokémon's right arm was frozen. Meanwhile, Wallace commanded Mega Swampert to use earth power, which managed to strike Chesnaught just as he freed half of his body from the ice, with the earth power shattering the ice covering the other half, but also injuring the Spiny Armor Pokemon in the process. "Now, needle arm!"

"Earth power!" Wallace commanded.

"Fight through it! Jump!" Niko shouted. Chesnaught leapt over the rippling earthquake and charged at Mega Swampert, thrusting his arm at the bulky creature. Swampert, expectedly, blocked it with his arm, albeit wincing slightly. "Now, seed bomb!"

"Ice beam!" Wallace shouted. The attack was too slow, and Swampert was hit by the attack directly in the face, causing it to stumble backwards. Niko noticed how exhausted Chesnaught was now—this battle would end quickly. "Earth power!"

"Seed bomb!" Niko bellowed out. Both Pokemon attacked from a distance—Swampert with the ripples underneath the earth, and Chesnaught with glowing green seeds. Both attacks hit at roughly the same time, knocking both backwards in opposing directions. Chesnaught collapsed on his back, as did Mega Swampert, the latter reverting back to its prior form, and Chesnaught not able to move.

"Both Pokemon are unable to battle! Wallace and Niko will now send out their next Pokemon!" the referee declared.

"Magneton, I choose you!"

"Ludicolo, you're up!" Wallace shouted. "Use rain dance!"

The Carefree Pokemon jumped back and forth, waving its mitten-like arms around. Suddenly, water started pouring from the sky. Niko figured this might be able to work to his advantage, and commanded Magneton to use thunderbolt in response.

"Block it with focus blast!" Wallace shouted.

"Really?" Niko muttered to himself. "Alright…Magneton sonicboom!" The Magnet Pokemon whirred around to create the energy necessary to fire a sound wave at its opponent. Ludicolo managed to dodge the move, shifting to the left faster than Niko imagined it could. _This Pokemon is fast…_ he thought to himself. "Magneton, thunderbolt again!"

"Ludicolo, giga drain!" Wallace commanded. The grass and water type rushed forward, swiftly evading the thunderbolt before grabbing onto Magneton's lower right magnet. Its hand began to glow green, and Niko could hear Magneton making a loud screeching noise—it was in trouble. "Now, focus blast!"

"Thunderbolt!" Niko cried out. Both attacks fired at close range, with Ludicolo still holding onto Magneton as the latter sent a powerful surge of electricity into it. On the flip side, though, Ludicolo fired a focus blast from its other hand, striking Magneton directly in the center of its body—where its three magnets met—and rocketed the Magnet Pokemon backwards and upwards.

"Magneton is unable to battle, Ludicolo is the winner! Niko will now send out his third Pokemon!" the referee declared.

"Return, Magneton. I'm really proud of you, buddy. Get some rest," he looked up at Ludicolo, puzzled by it. He never took the Carefree Pokemon to be so quick on its feet. It certainly doesn't give off such a vibe. And then he remembered—it was raining. Ludicolo is a water type. _It has an ability that makes it faster in rain!_ Niko smacked himself in the face. _Dumbass, of course! Now I just need something to combat that…_ "Braviary, I choose you!"

Wallace smirked. "Nice choice, Niko. Ludicolo, let's continue for now, though. Use surf!"

"Braviary, hone claws!" Niko shouted. Braviary nodded, shooting into the air, his body glowing in a light, translucent aura. "Now, aerial ace!"

The Valiant Pokemon shot downwards, barely skimming the wave of water crashing down under him. He charged at Ludicolo, who suddenly grabbed him by the beak, his mitten-hand glowing bright green.

"Giga drain!" Wallace cried out. Ludicolo drained Braviary of his energy and thrust him into the ground. "Now, use surf!"

"Braviary, back into the air!" Niko shouted. Braviary, still on the top of his game, rocketed high into the air to once more dodge the wave. _We can beat this thing, no matter how tough it is_ , he said, noticing how Ludicolo was taking a moment to nurse the hand that grabbed Braviary—the Carefree Pokemon was also injured. "Aerial ace again!"

"Ludicolo, focus blast!" Wallace shouted. Braviary crash-landed into Ludicolo just as the latter fired another focus blast, launching Braviary backward. It crashed onto the ground and rolled towards the middle of the battlefield. Ludicolo collapsed to one knee in exhaustion. "Return," Wallace said. "Walrein, I choose you!"

"Walrein, eh?" Niko said curiously. "Alright, then. Braviary, wanna continue?" he asked the Valiant Pokemon. Never the type to give up, Braviary nodded. "Good, that's not what we're about. Braviary, use aerial ace!"

"Walrein, blizzard!" Wallace commanded. The Ice Break Pokemon took advantage of the ongoing rain to freeze the raindrops, chilling the battlefield within seconds. Braviary, who hated the cold, powered through, ultimately striking at Walrein before swooping backwards and getting hit by a surf on the way back. He collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion.

"Can you keep going?" Niko asked, worried. Braviary slowly got back up, but he was in bad condition. "You know what? Return, Braviary. I want you to get a win under your belt, and this won't be the way to do that. Serperior, I choose you!"

"Serperior…?" Lauren said curiously. "But isn't that purely grass type?"

Warren and Charlotte smirked. "Yeah, but Serperior is a special Pokemon to Niko. She's the reason he got back into this. They have a close bond, and she is thus one of his strongest Pokemon," Charlotte explained. "She can handle this, if anyone can."

"Blizzard!" Wallace commanded.

"Serperior, defensive leaf tornado!" Niko shouted, harkening back to one of the Pokémon's first strategies. Serperior lifted her tail and whipped up a thick vortex of leaves around her. It didn't completely block the blizzard, but it certainly minimized the damage dealt. "Now, use coil!"

"Walrein, yawn!" Wallace commanded. The Ice Break Pokemon let out a loud, extended yawn that both Niko and Serperior heard loud and clear, causing the Regal Pokemon to collapse into a slumber, her coil still working somehow.

"Wait…" Fay said," shouldn't Serperior not be doing anything at all? How is she still using coil?"

Charlotte and Warren, who knew Serperior best, both shrugged.

"Serperior, keep it up," Niko whispered. Walrein continued its onslaught of blizzards and following up by using surf, which due to the colder environment the water was chilled. Serperior took each attack, not bothering to get up. "Alright…now!"

Serperior's head shot up as she glared at Walrein, who now looked perplexed. The Regal Pokemon, on Niko's command, shot forward across the battlefield, her tail whipping back and forth menacingly and glowing a bright green.

"Leaf blade!" Niko shouted.

"Use blizzard!" Wallace commanded. Serperior ignored the ice beating down on her—or at least looked the part—and leapt into the air with incredible strength and slammed the tip of her tail on the top of Walrein's head.

"And again!" Niko shouted. When Serperior was close to the ground, she spun around counter-clockwise, slamming her tail across Walrein's frontside, causing it to roar out. "Now, use leaf tornado!"

"Ice fang!" Wallace shouted. For the first time since being sent out, Walrein moved forward, and quicker than expected. It braved the sharp leaves clashing against it and bit down on Serperior's tail—and _hard_. The Regal Pokemon screeched just as loudly as her opponent earlier.

"Giga drain!" Niko commanded, thrusting a hand forward. Serperior's tail started to glow again and, while still in Walrein's mouth, began to drain energy from the Ice Break Pokemon. Reflexively, Walrein let go, opening up another chance for Niko and his Pokemon to strike. "Now, finish it off with leaf blade!"

Serperior landed on the ground just as she spun around, slashing one final time at Walrein before the ice type collapsed, face-first, into the ground.

"Walrein is unable to battle, Serperior is the winner!" the referee declared.

" **You might say Serperior was the superior one in the fight!** " President Goodshow said, drawing nervous laughter from his box and from the audience at large.

"Return, Walrein. Well done, Niko," Wallace said with a kind smile. "I didn't expect your Serperior to be so strong."

"She means a lot to me," Niko said, caressing the Regal Pokémon's head, "It helps that we have a deep connection, plus I feel like I owe it to her to help make her the strongest Pokemon that she can be."

"Admirable," Wallace uttered before the battlefield began to change—he had just lost three Pokemon in battle. The battlefield changed from a mountainous region to a grassy plain. "This second half should be a lot of fun, I think. Ludicolo, I choose you!"

"Serperior, you want to keep going?" Niko asked. "Because, if I'm being honest, you look really tired."

The Regal Pokemon, stubborn as ever, wanted to keep fighting, and eventually nodded at her trainer. She was ready to go again.

"Alright then. Use leaf blade!"

"Ludicolo, rain dance!" Wallace commanded. The Carefree Pokemon was able to create rainfall before getting smacked along the side of the face by Serperior, who promptly collapsed to the ground from exhaustion. "Focus blast!"

Ludicolo managed to fire the sphere of pure energy at Serperior, who was not fast enough to successfully dodge the attack. Seeing this, Niko whipped out her pokéball.

"Return, Serperior. I know you think you can keep fighting, and I have no doubt that you could, but you'll be more effective if you get some rest. Braviary, I choose you!" he shouted, summoning the equally exhausted Valiant Pokemon. _Braviary has a better chance of defeating Ludicolo than Serperior does. Plus, Ludicolo is also tired. That could work to our advantage_. "Braviary, use hone claws!"

"Ludicolo, surf!" Wallace commanded. The Carefree Pokemon summoned a large wave that quickly made its way across the grassy field towards Braviary, who leapt into the air to dodge it, sharpening his claws in the process. "Use focus blast!"

"Braviary, aerial ace!" Niko shouted. Braviary charged downwards and towards Ludicolo, leaning over to the right to dodge the attack. Ludicolo's hands started to glow green—it was about to use giga drain again. "To the side again!" Niko shouted. Braviary suddenly rolled to the left and made a sharp turn just after passing Ludicolo, striking his opponent in the back. Ludicolo fell forward, Braviary floating over it. "Now, finish it off with brave bird!"

At close range, Braviary's body burst into a blue-colored aura, and he shot downwards at Ludicolo, immediately crashing into it and rolling off of its back and onto the ground as well. Slowly, but surely, Braviary managed to get back onto his feet. Ludicolo, however, did not have the same strength.

"Ludicolo is unable to battle, Braviary is the winner!" the referee declared. "Wallace will now use his fifth Pokemon!"

"Great job, Braviary!" Niko cheered from his end of the battlefield. The Valiant Pokemon turned to him and waving his wing eagerly, albeit with a tired expression. "You're doing great, keep it up!"

"Sharpedo, I choose you!" Wallace said, summoning the dark-blue, shark-like creature. "Use aqua jet!"

"Aerial ace!" Niko shouted. Both Pokemon charged at one another with equal speed and force. Just before they collided, Sharpedo opened its large mouth and bit down on Braviary's left shoulder, thrusting the Valiant Pokemon into the ground. "Crush claw!"

A blue aura burst around Braviary's talons as he claws and slashed at Sharpedo's underbelly while the Brutal Pokemon bit down on his shoulder. Sharpedo then lifted Braviary up with incredible strength and tossed him into the air before belting out a hydro pump on Wallace's command. It struck Braviary powerfully, causing the flying type to crash onto his back only a few yards away.

"Braviary is unable to battle, Sharpedo is the winner! Niko will now use his next Pokemon!" the referee declared.

"Braviary, I'm very proud of you. You did amazing out there. Ribombee, I choose you!" he shouted, summoning the very small Bee Fly Pokemon. "Use stun spore!"

"Sharpedo, hydro pump!" Wallace shouted, swiftly eliminating the yellow spores floating along the field with a heavy blast of water. "Now aqua jet!"

"Oh, okay…" Niko said. "Dazzling gleam!"

Ribombee fluttered around, whipping up a bright pink light that seemed to blind Sharpedo, causing the Brutal Pokemon to crash in front of him. Ribombee, on Niko's command, used stun spore to momentarily paralyze the shark-like creature.

"Sharpedo, hydro pump!" Wallace shouted.

"Energy ball!" Niko commanded. Ribombee fluttered around his opponent, conjuring a ball of green and white energy and throwing it downwards onto Sharpedo, who was easily several times larger than Ribombee. However, unexpectedly, Sharpedo slowly lifted its head up and fired the hydro pump, striking an unsuspecting Ribombee. "Wait…how?"

"My water types have learned to handle paralysis better than most. You got me earlier with Starmie, but that was more luck than anything. Sharpedo is stronger, and far more practiced in the art of handling electric types. Sharpedo, use aqua jet!"

The Brutal Pokemon managed to get back up and strike at a dazed Ribombee, knocking him out of the air and into the grass.

"Use hydro pump again!" Wallace shouted.

"Ribombee, dazzling gleam!" Niko commanded. Ribombee, not knowing exactly where Sharpedo was, whipped up another bright light that encompassed a small area of the field he was in, disrupting Sharpedo's ability to carry out its move, and giving Ribombee enough time to get back into the air. "Now, pollen puff!"

Ribombee raised his arms, generating an ever-expanding ball of pollen from them. He then threw it at Sharpedo, hitting the Brutal Pokemon square in the face.

"Use aqua jet!" Wallace cried out.

"Nope!" Niko said in response, lifting up his Z-ring and placing a light green Z-crystal inside. "Ribombee, use Savage Spin-Out!"

The Z-energy transferred to the Bee Fly Pokemon, enveloping him with an intense amount of power. It had been a long time since he and Ribombee had fought using a Z-move, and so Niko worried if it would exhaust the little creature too much. Nevertheless, they had committed.

Ribombee fired off a long thread of silk that tied up Sharpedo, immobilizing it. Ribombee then took hold of the other end of the thread and, using the Z-energy to give him strength, spun Sharpedo around until he gained enough momentum to launch the Brutal Pokemon across the battlefield, where it crash-landed in front of its trainer. The silk soon disappeared, leaving a Sharpedo unable to move.

"Sharpedo is unable to battle, Ribombee is the winner! Wallace will now send out his sixth and final Pokemon!" the referee declared.

"Niko, I'm very impressed with you. This is exactly how I wanted our battle to go. Only, however, with it going in my favor instead. This is my final Pokemon and, without a doubt, my strongest. The most graceful Pokemon of them all: Milotic, I choose you!" Wallace shouted, throwing up an ultra ball that, upon opening, sent off small fireworks as the large Tender Pokemon crashed onto the ground. Immediately, it began to exude power.

"That's definitely his strongest," Brittany said. "I've seen him in contests before. His Milotic wipes the floor with everything it touches."

"Luckily Niko has three Pokemon left," Warren added.

"Ribombee, let's go!" Niko shouted. "Use stun spore!"

"Ice beam, Milotic," Wallace said calmly and confidently. Like with the hydro pump earlier, the ice beam blocked the stun spores. "Now, use hydro pump."

"Dazzling gleam!" Niko commanded. Ribombee flashed another pink light in Milotic's direction. However, for some reason, the attack still fired, nearly drowning the absurdly small Ribombee. "What the…?" he asked, noticing how Milotic's eyes were closed. _Wow, he even has a way to deal with that kind of move. This is really impressive_. "Ribombee, use energy ball!"

"Milotic, dear, use ice beam again," Wallace said simply. Milotic lowered its head and slithered forward a little, ducking under the energy ball and firing a surprisingly accurate ice beam that struck Ribombee, freezing his wing and forcing him into the ground. "Now, finish it off with hydro pump!"

"Ribombee, dodge it!" Niko shouted. Ribombee tried to but was pinned down by its ice-covered wings. The hydro pump covered the entire area the Bee Fly Pokemon was in. Once the attack finished, Ribombee lay there, sopping wet and unable to do anything else.

"Ribombee is unable to battle, Milotic is the winner! Niko will now use his next Pokemon!" the referee declared.

"Ribombee, return. Well done, buddy. Serperior, I choose you!"

"Milotic, use coil," Wallace said, a smirk etched on his face.

"Serperior, coil as well!" Niko said. He knew the strategy behind coil—it was a double-edged sword for the opponent, since it left them vulnerable to attacks while also strengthening their offensive and defensive capabilities. The two Pokemon lay there, curled up as they stared one another down, waiting for another to make the first move.

Niko knew that if he went first, Wallace would retaliate with ice beam. However, from his perspective Serperior might retaliate with giga drain, leaf tornado, or leaf blade.

Wallace eventually scoffed. "Very well, Niko. Milotic, use ice beam!"

"Serperior, defensive leaf tornado!" Niko shouted. Serperior, not as swift as she was earlier, tried to raise her tail quickly enough to create a wall of leaves to protect her. However, Milotic simply froze her tail, causing her to screech loudly. "U-use leaf blade!"

"Ice beam!" Wallace commanded. Milotic opened its mouth once more and fired the beam of ice energy, which Serperior managed to dodge this time, allowing her an opening to strike. She flipped and spun through the air, successfully slamming her glowing green tail against Milotic's neck. The Tender Pokemon crumbled to the ground.

"Well done!" Niko shouted.

"Recover," Wallace calmly said. Milotic started to emit a bright white aura, healing it in the process. "Now, ice beam!"

Up close, Milotic attempted to spray ice in Serperior's face. The Regal Pokemon, in return, slammed her tail at Milotic's body before taking the ice beam head-on. Both Pokemon were knocked onto their backs, the former far more exhausted. Milotic managed to get back up with relative ease. Serperior, on the other hand, struggled at first before collapsing back down onto the damp grass.

"Serperior is unable to battle, Milotic is the winner! Niko will now use his sixth and final Pokemon!" the referee declared.

"Oh boy…" Jake said, "things aren't looking good for Niko."

"What do you mean? He has the advantage."

"So does Milotic, in a way. Plus, look at Wallace's wrist. He had a Z-ring, too. It's going to be a close match, I think."

"Return, Serperior. I'm very proud of you, as always. Please get some well-deserved rest," Niko then held onto his last pokéball. "It's down to you again, buddy. Venusaur, I choose you!"

"Ah, I've been waiting on this one. I always thought Sceptile was your first Pokemon. Guess I was wrong," Wallace said kindly. "This will be a lot of fun, I think. Milotic, use ice beam!"

"Venusaur, petal blizzard!" Niko commanded. The Seed Pokemon fired off a vortex of pink petals in Milotic's direction, manipulating them in a way that they created a wall to block the ice beam. _Well done, buddy_ , Niko thought before noticing Venusaur nodding. _Right, I guess maybe you can hear my thoughts…wait a second, you're not mega evolved though._ "Err, Venusaur use solarbeam!"

"Ice beam!" Wallace commanded. The Tender Pokemon fired another stream of ice, successfully hitting Venusaur in the face and freezing his left side, just as the solar energy was building up on the top of his plant.

"Now!" Niko shouted. Venusaur fired the attack, which was successfully blocked by Milotic's hydro pump. However, Venusaur quickly followed up with petal blizzard, which struck the Tender Pokemon and brought its head lower to the ground as it winced in pain.

Niko then looked down at his Key Stone. _Think we should go for it now?_ Venusaur turned to face Niko and glared at him, as if leaving it entirely up to his trainer. _You know what? Screw it, let's go._

"Venusaur, mega evolve!" Niko roared. The Seed Pokemon started to glow, expanding his frame into a far larger version of himself with a more developed plant on his back and a pink flower on its forehead. "Now, use petal blizzard!"

"Ice beam!" Wallace roared. Milotic fired the ice beam once more, only for Mega Venusaur to _jump_ the attack and crash back down on the ground, causing the battlefield to briefly shake. The petals once more struck Milotic, only to be followed up by a solarbeam.

That's when Niko noticed Wallace lift up his Z-ring, which had a light blue crystal in it. Niko didn't immediately recognize it, but once he did, he grew very worried.

"Milotic, use Subzero Slammer!" Wallace shouted. Suddenly, the temperature dropped significantly, causing Venusaur's entire body to freeze. Niko felt the chill on two fronts—once in his body, and the other due to his connection with Venusaur. Milotic then fired a powerful beam of ice energy at Mega Venusaur, resulting in a massive, several-pointed glacier that briefly held the Seed Pokemon before exploding.

Niko then felt an incredible pain everywhere on his body. He screamed and dropped to his knees, clutching himself from how cold he felt.

Wallace was, appropriately so, worried and confused, and held up a hand to Milotic as a request to stop. The Tender Pokemon nodded, moving backwards a little to allow Niko and Mega Venusaur a chance to recover.

"Oh my god…" Lauren said, a hand covering her mouth, "is Niko going to be okay?"

"He will be," Warren said, "he hasn't fainted yet."

"Is _that_ what happens when he loses!?" Lauren exclaimed. Everyone around her nodded. "What the hell kind of curse did he receive?"

Niko's vision slowly started to clear up, and he began to regain feeling in his limbs and head again. Minutes later, he and Venusaur were back on their feet, much to the applause of the crowd. _You okay, buddy?_ Niko asked his partner, who nodded. _You're tough as nails, Venusaur. Let's win this now._ "Venusaur, now it's our turn!" Niko said, feeling a surge of energy coursing through his body. "Use stun spore and petal blizzard!"

"Hah! That's the spirit, Niko!" Wallace shouted back. "Milotic, use hydro pump!"

The petals, now lined with yellow spores, rushed at Milotic, moving out of the way of hydro pump on Venusaur's command. The Seed Pokemon was hit directly in the face by the blast of high-pressured water, but in return Milotic was not only hit by the petals, but also paralyzed by them. Niko learned, through his battle with Sharpedo, that this wouldn't last long.

"Venusaur, finish them off with frenzy plant!" Niko roared out, thrusting a hand forward. The Seed Pokemon roared as well, causing roots to rip out of the grass-covered ground and shoot across the field towards Milotic, slapping and slamming into the Tender Pokemon with incredible force. _That's it, buddy. We can do this!_

Milotic frantically fired an ice beam into the air, wildly missing Mega Venusaur before collapsing face-first into the damp grass.

Niko fell to his knees—the frenzy plant took a lot out of him, too. However, amidst his frantic panting he heard the referee say something.

"Milotic is unable to battle, Venusaur is the winner! The victory goes to Niko from Pallet Town!"

He let out a loud sigh of relief. Slowly standing up, he made his way to Venusaur, who had just reverted to his ordinary form. "Well…done…buddy. You know, this is the first time we've defeated a Champion, right?"

Venusaur smirked and nodded, as if it seemed obvious to him that they would. Niko realized this and began to laugh, his Pokemon following suit.

" **And would you look at that, folks! Niko has now advanced to the semifinals! We'll have to wait and see how the other matches play out to see who his next opponent will be!** " Colton Goodshow declared. He turned off the mic and looked over at Ash, who was watching the end of the match intently. Serena sat beside him. "You think he's got a chance?"

"It's certainly possible. Now his chances are 1 in 4. Those are good odds, right?"

"Yes, but still. Chances are he'll have to face some more difficult Champions before you. Think he's up to it?"

"You've seen him battle, right? That battle against Tobias…his Feraligatr looks unstoppable. His Venusaur clearly has more fight in him right now. Niko isn't going anywhere."

Back on the field, Niko was laughing with Venusaur when Wallace approached them, causing the victor to stand up.

"Niko, congratulations. That was a hard fought and well-deserved win. You and your Pokemon should be very proud of yourselves."

"We do," Niko said, turning to Venusaur. "And thanks. I appreciate hearing that from you. Did you know you're the first Champion that I've been able to win against?"

"Well, I'm honored in that case. I don't think I'll be the last, either," Wallace held out a hand, and when he shook Niko's he covered the latter's hand with his other. "I will win this. I guarantee it."

* * *

" **And that's it, folks! We now know who will be advancing to the semifinals of the Pokemon World Tournament!** " President Goodshow declared. " **We have: Niko, Bonnie, Lance, and…Alder! Two current Champions, one runner-up, and one former Champion all in the running to take the title of World Champion!** "

Niko sat on the satin couch, watching the results with Elliot, who had been soundly eliminated from the tournament by Lance. Niko got a chance to watch it, just in case he might be facing the Kanto Champion anytime soon. He saw all six of Lance's Pokemon in battle. He also got a chance to see all six of Alder's. However, he did not see all six of Bonnie's. Once again, the Kalos Champion did not need all six of her Pokemon to win against her opponent.

"Who do you think you'll be up against?" Elliot asked curiously.

"A Champion, probably," Niko said.

"Well yeah, no shit."

"I was jok—" Niko was interrupted by President Goodshow's booming voice.

" **Let's now reveal the match-ups for the semifinals, both of which will be held tomorrow afternoon!** " As usual, the profiles randomly shifted around on the screen before flipping over. Niko's jaw dropped.

Bonnie was against Alder, which meant…

"Me and Lance," Niko said decisively.

Elliot patted him on the back. "Best of luck, man."

* * *

Niko left the waiting room and reentered the real world as crowds of people looked around at him. The reporter from earlier, Abby, threw herself in front of him, pencil and pad in hand.

"Niko! Congrats on your win today. How are you feeling going into tomorrow's match?"

"Err…"

"Are you worried about facing The Dragon Master at all?"

"Uh…of course I am. Who wouldn't be?"

"Your friend and rival, Elliot, didn't seem to be."

"Well Elliot has a good poker face," Niko explained, "He was—"

"Are you worried that being the underdog will harm your performance?"

"Abby, I was the underdog for my match today, and against Tobias two days ago. I think I'll be fine," Niko said before trying to find his friends, but the reporter was persistent.

"Niko! Niko! Are you worried about Lance's fanbase giving you trouble?"

"Lance's…what?" Niko said before turning to see a rather large group of people—some of them, for whatever reason, in red and black capes—jeering and taunting him. "Oh, these guys? This is the first I've heard of them."

"You can't win!"

"You'll never beat Master Lance!"

"Go home, rookie!"

Niko raised an eyebrow to them. The last thing he expected from Lance was a persistent, almost cult-like fanbase. The young men—they were primarily men—ran up to him as he tried to get out of the crowd, continuing to mock and name-call. "Look, is this necessary?" Niko asked the fanboys.

"You're gonna lose!"

"Might as well go home to your mommy!"

"Do you even know what a dragon is!?"

"What're you talking about? I own three dragon types, and I fully intend to use them tomorrow," Niko explained.

"You can't raise a dragon properly!"

"Your Venusaur can't hold a candle to Lance's Dragonite!"

"You'll always be a runner-up!"

Niko continued to ignore them, or tried his best to at least. Eventually the crowds died down when he was halfway to his hotel. By then, he found Charlotte running towards him. She crashed into his torso, tightly holding him.

"How're you doing?" she asked, her voice muffled.

"I'm doing fine. Why?" Charlotte pointed to the fanboys still yelling over at him. "Oh, those jerks? Charlotte, I can't let some idiots get the best of me."

"That's what Elliot said…" Charlotte said. "He told us after you two left the waiting room and you were bombarded with people trying to talk to you."

Niko hardly even noticed Elliot slip away. "Well, I'm not about to let it get to me."

"You've never had to deal with press before, how can you say that for sure?"

"Because I know who I am, Charlotte," Niko said. "Look, let's go get something to eat and forget about those morons, alright?"

Charlotte nodded. "Fine, let's do that."

They soon met up with the rest of the group and walked off. During dinner, Niko continued to get bombarded with requests to speak, denying most of them before giving into the pressure and accepting interview requests, much to the annoyance of some his friends. By the time he got back to his bed in his hotel suite, it had just hit midnight. He still needed to prepare for his battle with Lance the following day, plus get some sleep. After defeating Wallace's Milotic, he was exhausted, and so were his Pokemon.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Longest chapter in this series, I think. Let me know what you thought of the battle, as well as the reaction to Niko's win. To be honest, I had forgotten about the reporter, and intended to include more of her earlier. Now I plan to a little more, as well as add more about these fanboys of Lance's. Either way, I hope you enjoyed!**


	18. The Dragon Master

**Episode 18: The Dragon Master**

Niko spent the morning of his semifinal battle training with Naganadel. The Poison Pin Pokemon hadn't been in an official battle since the Lanakila Conference, and he wanted to make sure it was ready to fight. Lance would be, without a doubt, one of the hardest battles Niko has seen yet. Prior to this, it might've been Hau, or Tobias. The difference with Lance was that he had been Champion of the Kanto region for, at this point, over two decades. He was a middle-aged man with one of the most powerful Pokemon types at his command. It didn't help that Niko historically had bad luck against dragon type Pokemon.

First was his battle with Fay, who liked using dragons. Then, it was Clair. After that, Drayden. Then Drasna. The only dragon-type challenge that he succeeded in was the trial on Poni Island, and that was against an opponent that paled in comparison to any of his prior opponents.

Despite this, Niko had reason to believe he could at least make the match close. He had fairy, ice, and dragon types that were, generally speaking, strong Pokemon. He knew what Lance used, more or less, and knew their weaknesses. He hoped to exploit those a little. Plus, he didn't expect to substitute his Pokemon as often as he did with Wallace, since fighting dragon types was a little more straightforward—albeit more difficult—than battling water types. The constant substituting left some of his Pokemon exhausted by the time they re-entered battle, which left both him and Wallace at disadvantages when they might been the opposite.

"Great job, Naganadel!" Niko shouted when the Poison Pin Pokemon successfully fired a dragon pulse into the air. "You're really getting good at this!"

"Too bad it won't do much against Lance's dragons!" an observer shouted at Niko. He and Naganadel turned to see a group of young men in hoodies watching them.

"I'd like to see you try to take my Naganadel on," Niko declared. "It's an Ultra Beast, if you didn't know."

"Doesn't matter who it is, Lance can beat it!"

"Then why isn't he World Champion yet?" Niko inquired.

"Because that Ash Ketchum cheated—and there's evidence of it, too!" another guy said.

"Show me the evidence, then," Niko said, holding his hand out. The guy didn't respond.

"Psh, it's no use arguing with this kid. He's hopeless anyways," the third guy declared. "Let's go. Good luck, loser!"

Niko turned to Naganadel, whose mask was now beat red. It was either due to embarrassment or anger—or both. "Hey…don't listen to those idiots, okay? Lance is tough, he's really going to test us, but we _can_ win this. You have a special trait that no one else here has, not even Lance's Pokemon! You're the child of a famous Naganadel, and a powerful one at that," Niko tapped Naganadel's chest with his finger. "I believe in you, and I always will, no matter how well you do today."

Naganadel looked down at Niko, and nodded. It then brought him in for a hug, which seemed to make both of them feel better.

"You ready!?" Warren shouted, interrupting the hug.

"I think so, yeah! Naganadel, you ready too?" The Poison Pin Pokemon screeched loudly before spewing poison everywhere. "Woah! Stop that!" Niko shouted, running out of the way of the poison falling out of the sky. He turned to Naganadel, "you have to _not_ do that!"

"It's just excited, Niko," Brittany said with a quick laugh.

"I know, but I'd also like to make it through this tournament alive!" Niko said, shaking his head. Naganadel flew over to him and hugged his trainer from behind. "Oh, you think that's going to make things better?" he said teasingly.

* * *

" **Welcome to the seventh day of the 25th Pokemon World Tournament! I'm your host, as always, Colton Goodshow! We are down to four trainers, any of whom could be the next challenger to the incumbent World Champion, Ash Ketchum!**

" **Our first match will be between the Champion of the Kalos region, Bonnie of Lumiose City, versus the former Champion of the Unova region, Alder of Floccesy Town!** "

Niko sat in the waiting room that afternoon, hours after his private training with Naganadel. The only other person in there with him, besides the employees, was Lance. The Champion of Kanto sat in complete silence. Since Niko had last seen him years ago, Lance had aged a bit. His hair was still a carmine color, but it certainly had streaks of grey in it. He still wore a medieval-looking navy blue tunic with a red-orange trim and black boots. Most noticeably, he still wore his crimson red and black cape.

"You're an impressive trainer, Niko," Lance finally said, turning to look at his next opponent. "Especially your match against Tobias."

"Uh, thank you," Niko said nervously.

"After your involvement in the World Crisis, I looked more into your history. It's rare for a trainer to steadily improve in the way that you did. You were by no means a meteoric rise, but not a slow one either. At least, not slow enough to make you quit."

"Well, I actually did that, too."

"Wouldn't have guessed," Lance replied. He spoke in a casual, slightly less emotional tone. "But I'm excited to battle you. Win or lose, our match will be one to watch. It's not because you have flashy Pokemon or unbelievable strategies, but the bond with your Pokemon makes your battles all that more enjoyable to watch and, I hope, to compete in. I can't exactly say the same about myself, in all honesty."

"Why is that?"

"When I was younger—much younger than you, in fact—I was more rebellious, and sort of arrogant. It comes with the territory of raising dragon Pokemon: everyone thinks they're the best. It wasn't until I met Drasna from Kalos that I really soaked in what it meant to be a Dragon Tamer. That was before I became Champion of the Kanto league, and later Champion of the region at large. You…you've got a rare humility that trainers desire, but don't know that they do. That's one of your greatest strengths."

"Humility comes from experience, I think, and discipline."

"It sounds like you've got both," Lance replied, only to receive a nod from Niko. "Anyway, best of luck," he held out his hand. Niko turned to him, and reached out as well, and shook.

* * *

" **And for our second match of the day, we have the Champion of the Kanto region, Lance from Blackthorn City, versus the runner-up to the Alola region Championship, Niko from Pallet Town!** "

Niko heard the stadium cheer for Lance, and then roughly two-thirds for him. On Lance's end, there was a significant group of people booing him. _Why me? Why now? I don't remember this happening to any of the other competitors…or maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention_. He did, however, hear his friends cheering from behind him.

The referee explained the rules of the match. The battlefield, this time, was in a desert. _Perfect place for dragons_ , Niko thought to himself. Moments later, he saw Lance withdraw a pokéball. He quickly did the same.

"Flygon!"

"Drampa!"

"I choose you!" they shouted simultaneously.

"Drampa, use dragon pulse!" Niko commanded, thrusting his hand outwards.

"Flygon, earth power!" Lance shouted. The Mystic Pokemon slammed its tail into the sand, causing a small ripple through the battlefield that got progressively stronger, eventually striking Drampa, who responded with a powerful burst of draconic energy that shot across the field and hit Flygon directly in the chest, knocking it out of the air. "Earth power again!"

"Drampa, take to the skies!" Niko shouted. The Placid Pokemon roared out, shooting into the air and effectively dodging the attack. "Use dragon breath!"

"Flygon, dodge it," Lance said calmly. "Now, use draco meteor!"

 _Oh, no…_ Niko thought. Flygon's body started shimmering a light orange aura before it opened its mouth and fired an orb high into the air. Far above Drampa, it exploded, causing smaller orbs to quickly descend out of the sky in random directions. Drampa, being an abnormally large Pokemon, had difficulty dodging them, eventually getting hit by a few of them that forced him out of the sky and into the desert below.

"Dragon rush!" Lance shouted. The Mystic Pokemon waited a moment—presumably to recharge its energy after using such a powerful attack—before charging at Drampa, who still lay on the ground, relatively motionless.

 _Drampa is smart,_ Niko thought. He knew the Placid Pokemon took a fair amount of damage, but he also knew that the dragon wasn't out of the fight just yet. "Use dragon breath!" Niko shouted. Drampa, still in the sand, cocked his head towards Flygon, just as the Mystic Pokemon got close, and belted out a steady jet of orange and purple flames. Flygon, caught off guard, halted its attack. Drampa then followed up with a dragon pulse immediately following it, as he got up quickly after his dragon breath attack. Flygon was thrust backwards into the sand following the series of back-to-back dragon moves.

"Use earth power!" Lance shouted. Flygon slammed its tail into the sand, causing enough ripple—albeit not as strong as before—towards Drampa, who leapt into the air and lunged at Flygon, pinning down the Mystic Pokemon with his front feet.

"Dragon pulse!" Niko shouted.

"Draco meteor!" Lance commanded. Drampa charged up his attack just as Flygon fired the draco meteor just above them. Then, the Placid Pokemon released the pulsating wave of draconic energy just as the meteor exploded, drowning the field in dozens of smaller explosions. Sand whipped up everywhere, mixing in with the smoke from the constant collisions of meteors and the ground.

Once the smoke cleared, Flygon was laying on its back in defeat, and Drampa was on his side, also unmoving.

"Drampa and Flygon are both unable to battle! Niko and Lance will now send out their second Pokemon!"

Niko returned Drampa, swapping out for his next choice. "Aurorus, I choose you!" he shouted, summoning the Tundra Pokemon. A few days prior, he spoke with Wulfric about sending out Aurorus. He had a fun reunion with the Pokemon before speaking with her earlier that morning about battling alongside him against Lance. Aurorus leapt—literally—at the opportunity.

"Kingdra, you're up!" Lance shouted, sending out an all-too familiar seahorse-like dragon. "Use flash cannon!"

"Aurorus, block it with avalanche!" Niko shouted quickly. Kingdra summoned a beam of blinding light and fired it at Aurorus, who in response caused an avalanche of snow to fall in front of her, minimizing the damage of the attack. "Now, use ice beam!"

"Block it with flash cannon!" Lance commanded. Both attacks fired at the same time, bringing the both of them to a draw. "Now, surf!"

"Ice beam it," Niko said calmly. Kingdra cause a wave to appear in front of it that came tumbling down the sand-covered battlefield. Aurorus then fired an ice beam, the two sails on her back shimmering brightly, and froze the wave. "Now, ancient power to shatter it!"

"Kingdra, flash cannon!" Lance commanded. Kingdra then shot forward, unexpectedly and with incredible speed, and moved to Aurorus' side before firing the flash cannon while she shattered the frozen wave in front of her.

The Tundra Pokemon roared out as she reflexively shot an angry glare at Kingdra, using thunder wave in response. The light electric pulses struck Kingdra, forcing it to collapse into the sand, temporarily paralyzed.

Although, Niko now learned to expect the unexpected with Champions—Kingdra wouldn't be that way for long. So, he took out a pokéball and returned Aurorus.

"That flash cannon is ugly, Aurorus. Let's save you for later," he said, briefly thinking about his next move. "Druddigon, I choose you!" he shouted, summoning his first dragon type Pokemon to fight. "It's been awhile, buddy. You ready to kick some ass?"

Druddigon roared proudly, slamming his fists together powerfully. Kingdra, who by now had recovered from the paralysis, glared curiously at Druddigon.

"Use dragon claw!" Niko commanded. The Cave Pokemon shot forward, hovering slightly above the ice-and-sand covered ground before attempting to slash at Kingdra. The Dragon Pokemon phased to the right, firing an ice beam directly at Druddigon's side, catching the latter's wing. Druddigon collapsed onto the ground, wincing from the pain the ice was doing to his right wing. "Druddigon, you can fight through it!"

"Dragon pulse, Kingdra!" Lance commanded powerfully. Kingdra began charging to use the attack when its tail was hit, causing it to spin clockwise and onto the ground. Druddigon had used dragon tail, which gave it some time to get off of the ground. "Flash cannon!"

"Druddigon, dragon claw!" Niko commanded. The Cave Pokemon slashed at Kingdra before the latter could attack, knocking the Dragon Pokemon backwards. "Now, use night slash!"

"Kingdra, ice beam!" Lance commanded. As Druddigon charged forward, his claws glowing a dark purple, Kingdra fired another blast of ice at him. Druddigon sliced through it before slashing at the felled Kingdra.

"Nice job, Druddigon!" Niko shouted as his Pokemon briefly flew backwards, creating space between him and his opponent. "Use dragon claw again!"

"Dragon pulse!" Lance commanded, throwing a hand forward. The Dragon Pokemon charged up another pulse of draconic energy and fired at Druddigon, who used his own attack to block unsuccessfully. Druddigon was thrown back, landing several yards away in the sand. A dust cloud erupted around him, suggesting that maybe he had been defeated.

This wasn't the case, however. Druddigon slowly got up, panting heavily. Kingdra was the same—tired. Both Pokemon stared one another down before Druddigon shot forward with another attempt at dragon claw on his mind. Kingdra did the same, but with dragon pulse.

"Roll to the side!" Niko shouted just after Kingdra fired its attack. Druddigon, his claws glowing a light purple, made a sharp right turn to evade the powerful wave of energy before redirecting himself back to Kingdra, successfully slashing at his opponent and launching the Dragon Pokemon towards the edge of the field. "Follow up with superpower!"

"Kingdra, ice beam!" Lance shouted. Kingdra slowly lifted its head to fire its attack, only to miss when Druddigon once more rolled to the side to evade. The Cave Pokemon then grabbed Kingdra by the curled-up tail and spun it around in circles before throwing it across the battlefield.

"Dragon claw!" Niko commanded. Druddigon flew at his opponent while Kingdra was still in the air, intercepting it and slashing powerfully right after it landed on the ground. A small puff of sand flew into the air as Druddigon passed through it, landing on one knee and wincing.

"Kingdra is unable to battle, Druddigon is the winner! Lance will now use his third Pokemon!" the referee declared.

"Return, Kingdra. Hydreigon, I choose you!" he shouted, summoning the three-headed dark and dragon type that Niko had difficulty with years ago. "Use earth power!"

"Druddigon, jump and use dragon claw!" Niko shouted. This was going to be a far more difficult opponent, no doubt about it. The Cave Pokemon shot into the air and towards Hydreigon, eventually getting close enough to take a swipe at it. However, the Brutal Pokemon lifted one of its smaller head-hands and blasted out what looked like dark pulse, striking Druddigon and rocketing him back into the ground.

"Earth power, again!" Lance commanded powerfully. Hydreigon slammed its tail into the ground, causing it to ripple briefly before hitting Druddigon, who was close by.

"Druddigon, can you keep going?" Niko asked, more curious than anything. Druddigon slowly got up and held a hand up without looking at his trainer, indicating that he was fine. "Alright. Use dragon tail!"

Druddigon's tail burst into a green aura, and he leapt into the air before spinning and aiming to strike Hydreigon's black-furred neck. Hydreigon then shot its left hand at the dragon tail and, surprisingly, grabbed onto it before using another dark pulse, rocketing Druddigon even further away.

"Draco meteor!" Lance roared, pointing towards the sky. Hydreigon's body began to glow a bright, shimmering orange color before it fired an orange orb directly into the sky. It exploded high above them, with smaller meteors shooting down towards the ground. Druddigon managed to escape one before getting hit by two more, knocking him back into the ground, this time for good.

"Druddigon is unable to battle, Hydreigon is the winner!" the referee declared. "Niko will now use his next Pokemon!"

"Return, Druddigon. I'm very proud of you, buddy. You kicked ass there. Aurorus, I choose you!" he shouted, summoning the Tundra Pokemon once more. "Use ice beam!"

"Block it with fire blast!" Lance commanded. Both attacks collided in the middle of the field, with the fire blast moving closer to Aurorus before dissipating quickly. "Now, earth power!"

"Aurorus, ice beam again!" Niko shouted. She was going to take the attack regardless, might as well make it an equivalent exchange in some way. The stream of ice struck Hydreigon just after it created a powerful ripple across the battlefield, hitting Aurorus. She let out a loud roar as the sails on her back flashed darker colors, something Niko hadn't noticed before. "Thunder wave!"

"Hydreigon, dark pulse!" Lance shouted. The Brutal Pokemon fired another attack to combat the thunder wave, successfully doing so before firing another dark pulse from the other head-hand. Aurorus took the attack and wobbled slightly, clearly in pain now.

Niko noticed this, and considered switching her out again. _She's going to have difficulty beating this Pokemon…gah! Why don't I have the Icium-Z?_ he thought, wondering where on the planet that Z-crystal could be. _However, if I switch, she'll be just as exhausted for the next fight, and I don't think Lance's Pokemon are going to get any easier to beat…_

"Aurorus, ice beam again!" Niko shouted.

"Hydreigon, earth power!" Lance shouted. "Then, move forward!"

The Brutal Pokemon slammed its tail into the ground before charged down the field, using dark pulse to block the ice beam. It then got up close to Aurorus immediately after the earth power struck her.

"Fire blast and dark pulse!"

"What!?" Niko shouted. "Aurorus…u-use avalanche!"

" **Wow! How can Hydreigon use two moves at the same time!?** " President Goodshow said with surprise.

Hydreigon fired a heavy blast of flames in conjunction with a dark nexus of energy at both sides of Aurorus. Through the dual-attack, the Tundra Pokemon managed to somehow summon an avalanche of snow just above the Brutal Pokemon, bringing it down just before she fell onto her side in defeat.

"Aurorus is unable to battle, Hydreigon is the winner! Now that Lance has defeated three of Niko's Pokemon, the battlefield will change!"

"Aurorus, return," Niko said, "you went up against two very tough Pokemon—I'm proud of you for that. Please get some rest," he said, withdrawing the pokéball in exchange for his next one—the one he hoped could beat Hydreigon.

The Brutal Pokemon returned to Lance's side as the battlefield disappeared in place of a water-themed one. It looked similar to a lot of the water battlefields Niko had seen in water-type gyms: a large pond with white, circular platforms that allowed for land-based Pokemon to jump across.

"You may begin again!"

"Hydreigon, keep going!" Lance commanded.

"Glalie, I choose you!" Niko shouted, summoning the Face Pokemon. _I think you can do this, Glalie._ "Let's start off with ice beam!"

"Block it with dark pulse," Lance said calmly. Hydreigon lifted a head-hand and fired dark energy, effectively shielding itself from the attack, which gave Glalie some room to move. The Face Pokemon shifted to the side to use ice beam a second time, to which Hydreigon also blocked, this time with fire blast.

 _Blast it, how're we going to beat this?_ Niko thought to himself. "Glalie, use double team!" Glalie duplicated himself multiple times. "Alright, now use ice beam!" _He's done this before, I think. He's certainly got the energy for it._ Glalie's onslaught of ice beam was enough to overwhelm Hydreigon, who in response shot both arms in opposite directions and fired fire blasts from each before spinning, quickly eliminating every Glalie copy.

However, the real one was nowhere to be found. While Hydreigon was confused, Niko smirked.

"Now!"

"Hydreigon, look below you!" Lance shouted. Glalie shot out of the water to use ice beam, striking Hydreigon directly in the chest and knocking it onto one of the white platforms. "Use dark pulse!"

"Crunch!" Niko shouted loudly. Glalie bit down on Hydreigon's arm—the one about to use dark pulse—and used ice beam again, causing the Brutal Pokemon to roar out. "Now, shove it off!"

Glalie dragged Hydreigon off of the platform and into the water before spraying ice beam everywhere, freezing the battlefield.

"Well done!" Niko shouted proudly. He forgot, however, what Hydreigon's move set included.

Suddenly the ice began to melt as a stream of fire shout out, aimed at Glalie. Reflexively, the Face Pokemon used double team before reiterating its ice beam, firing back and keeping Hydreigon at bay.

This didn't stop the Brutal Pokemon, who used both head-hands to spray fire through the frozen lake and free itself. Hydreigon shot back into the air and began eliminating Glalie copies, eventually striking at the real one, who blocked with protect.

"Double team and ice beam!" Niko shouted. The Glalies once more bombarded Hydreigon, causing it to now crash onto a nearby platform, exhausted. Hydreigon continued to spray fire blasts in each direction, albeit much slower now. _It's working…we're slowly wearing it down_. "Tackle it now!"

Glalie shot forward and rammed into Hydreigon with the pointed black spikes on his, quickly jabbing the Brutal Pokemon and knocking it onto its back. Glalie then fired another ice beam, effectively freezing the Hydreigon.

Still, it wasn't over. Hydreigon managed to once more melt its way through and fire a successful fire blast at Glalie, knocking him out of the air and into the water.

"Glalie!" Niko shouted, hoping his Pokemon could hear him, "We can win this, Glalie! Keep it up!"

Suddenly, Niko saw the pool freeze entirely. The air around him got significantly colder. In fact, it was barely bearable. Then, Glalie shot out of the ice and, only briefly looking at Hydreigon, fired a beam of ice just as the entire battlefield froze over. Hydreigon was instantly frozen in a large block of ice that, similarly to Subzero Slammer, shattered dramatically. Hydreigon collapsed forward in defeat as the battlefield began to warm up again, as did the air around Niko.

"Hydreigon is unable to battle, Glalie is the winner!" the referee declared.

" **Unbelievable! Glalie was able to pull off a sheer cold attack! It's a one-hit KO!** "

"Glalie just learned…sheer cold…?" Niko asked, tilting his head. "That's…unexpected."

"Geez…" Warren said, "The kind of luck Niko has sometimes."

"He's gonna need it," Fay said, "Lance hasn't brought out his strongest Pokemon yet."

"Salamence, I choose you!" Lance shouted.

"Glalie, use ice beam!"

"Salamence, stone edge!" Lance commanded. The Dragon Pokemon shot onto a nearby platform, slamming its tail into the ground and sending pointed stones hurling at Glalie, who defensively used double team before firing multiple ice beams at his opponent. "Dodge them, and use flamethrower!"

Salamence skillfully weaved in and out of the ice beams while spraying fire at each of the copies, swiftly eliminating them one by one before tackling the real one with dragon claw. Glalie was thrown into the water fast enough to crack the bottom floor of the battlefield.

"Glalie, sheer cold!" Niko shouted. He had never used a one-hit KO move before, and so had no idea how much energy they took to use. Glalie clearly attempted it, but only managed to freeze the battlefield, nothing else. "Ice beam instead!" he shouted, watching a stream of ice break through the surface and lamely aim at Salamence, who dodged it before belting out a flamethrower just above Glalie, melting the ice around its opponent and essentially boiling Glalie inside. "No!"

Lance then commanded Salamence to use stone edge, which struck Glalie from underneath and rocketed the Face Pokemon high into the air. Salamence caught Glalie with another dragon claw, slashing it into one of the white platforms. In retaliation, Glalie managed to fire an ice beam directly at the Dragon Pokémon's chest, successfully knocking it backwards. "Salamence, use stone edge again!"

"Glalie, ice beam!" Niko shouted. Both Pokemon landed their attacks successfully and, once they did so, Niko noticed the mega stone on Salamence's neck start to glow.

"Salamence, mega evolve!" Lance commanded powerfully. The Dragon Pokemon was enveloped with mega evolution energy before bursting into a very different creature. Like Niko had seen nearly a year prior, Mega Salamence didn't have feet. Rather, they were tucked inside bands wrapped around both sides of its body. Its wings were now in a sharp crescent shape. As before, it looked horrifyingly powerful. "Now, use flamethrower!"

Mega Salamence belted out another stream of fire that completely covered Glalie, leaving him with burns everywhere. Glalie attempted to retaliate with ice beam, but was too weak to do so, and simply collapsed onto his back.

"Glalie is unable to battle, Salamence is the winner! Niko will now use his fifth Pokemon!"

"Oh dear…" Lauren said, "Niko only has two Pokemon left?"

"Yep…" Brittany said, gulping. "It's not looking very good right now."

"But he can still win," Kaila said excitedly. "Niko will find a way!"

"That's exactly right," Charlotte concurred.

"Return, Glalie. I'm happy you were able to get a win under your belt and learn a new move…somehow. Now, Naganadel, I choose you!"

"Naga…nadel…?" Fay asked curiously. "Against a Mega Salamence?"

"He has to have something up his sleeve…something," Jacob said, equally skeptical.

"An Ultra Beast, I'm very impressed, Niko," Lance said, "let's see what it's capable of. Salamence, use dragon claw!"

"Naganadel, dragon pulse!" Niko roared. Naganadel, by far the larger creature, fired a wave of draconic energy that only barely seemed to effect its opponent. Salamence's wings started to glow at the tip as it spun around and slashed at the Poison Pin Pokemon. "Excellent, hold onto it, Naganadel!" Niko shouted. "And use toxic!"

"Yep, there it is," Jacob said, "that's probably his strategy."

"Doesn't look like a winning one, though," Cody retorted.

"Likely not, but it's definitely something," Jacob replied.

Naganadel sprayed poison directly onto Mega Salamence's wings and face, blocking the Dragon Pokémon's sight briefly. The Ultra Beast still somehow managed to hold onto its opponent, at least until Lance commanded it to use flamethrower and get out of reach.

"Use venom drench!" Niko shouted. Naganadel lifted its abdomen, pointing the stinger at Mega Salamence, and fired venom in its direction, striking once more. Salamence, in retaliation, spun once more and used dragon claw, knocking Naganadel onto one of the platforms near Niko. "C'mon buddy, you can do this," Niko said softly.

In the stands, Ash Ketchum watched the battle with curious intent. "It's doing surprisingly well, for someone who just evolved…"

"It's a lot like your Naganadel, don't you think?" Serena asked calmly.

"I guess so."

While Mega Salamence was still attempting to recover, it fired down a flamethrower that struck the Poison Pin Pokemon, keeping it pinned down to the platform. "Are you going to let this Salamence keep you down, Naganadel!?" Niko shouted powerfully. "No! Use dragon pulse!"

Naganadel roared out, getting back up and releasing a wave of draconic energy at its opponent, who was only floating a few feet off of the ground. Mega Salamence had difficulty dodging the move, and took it, slamming into one of the platforms behind it. Naganadel then shot towards the Dragon Pokemon and slammed onto the platform, causing it to capsize, with both Pokemon falling into the water below.

Suddenly, Niko got an idea. It was absolutely merciless, but he needed the edge in the battle. "Naganadel, use venom drench!"

"OH MY!" Brittany said, putting a hand up to her mouth.

"That's ruthless," Fay said.

Suddenly, the water turned a light purple and fogged up, making it difficult to see where Salamence and Naganadel were. Over a minute later, Naganadel was thrust out of the water, with Mega Salamence slowly following behind. Both collapsed on separate platforms, exhausted beyond belief. Niko could see the effect of the poisonous water on Lance's Pokemon. It was breathing heavily, and it looked to be sweating as well. _The only way we could possibly have an edge—throwing as much poison at it as possible_.

"Salamence, use dragon claw!" Lance shouted.

"Naganadel, dragon pulse!" Niko commanded.

Mega Salamence spun forward, the tip of its crescent wing emitting a light green aura. It gained enough momentum that, when it hit Naganadel, the Poison Pin Pokemon was rocketed backwards. However, not before the latter fired a powerful pulse of draconic energy, repelling Mega Salamence with near-equal force. Both Pokemon crashed on different end of the field—Salamence on a platform in front of Lance, and Naganadel in the poison-filled pool just in front of Niko. Just then, Salamence reverted to its prior form.

"Salamence and Naganadel are both unable to battle!" the referee declared. "Niko and Lance will now send out their sixth and fifth Pokemon, respectively!"

"Oh my god…" Warren said, feeling panicked. "Niko has to take down _two_ of Lance's dragons with only one Pokemon? Which one will he choose?"

"Return, Naganadel. For a first time, that was really impressive. I'm really proud of you."

"You're doing excellent, Niko. But I think your World Tournament challenge ends here. Haxorus, I choose you!"

"Sceptile, you're up!"

"Ah, a good matchup," Charlotte said, "Sceptile can keep up with Haxorus quite well, I'd think."

"Use leaf storm!" Niko commanded.

"Rock slide!" Lance shouted. Haxorus summoned rocks from the sky, causing them to crash down into the poison water as means of blocking leaf storm. "Now, dragon dance!"

"Don't let up, Sceptile!" Niko shouted, "dragon claw!"

Sceptile shot forward, taking incredible leaps over the water and onto different platforms to quickly close the distance between himself and Haxorus, while the latter was covered in a thin purple and red aura. Sceptile spun around and attempted to slash at Haxorus, who swiftly blocked it with its own dragon claw, bringing both Pokemon to a standstill.

"Sceptile, leaf blade!" Niko commanded. The leaves on Sceptile's wrists started to glow and elongate and, with every last effort he could conjure, he slowly moved the blade downwards onto Haxorus, breaking the stalemate. "Great job! Follow up with dragon claw!"

"Outrage!" Lance commanded. Haxorus' eyes started to glow bright purple as it was enveloped by a light red aura. Haxorus then slashed wildly at Sceptile, who blocked with dragon claw. Haxorus kept this up, causing Sceptile to frantically block each attack. Slowly, he found himself getting towards the edge of the platform they were on.

"Sceptile, grab it!" Niko shouted. The Forest Pokemon, understanding where his trainer was going with this, ducked Haxorus' next attack and slashed at the Axe Jaw Pokemon before grabbing its torso and throwing it behind him, into the poisoned water. "Now, leaf storm!"

A fast-moving vortex of leaves fired out of Sceptile's tail and into the water, presumably hitting Haxorus. Sceptile then turned to see where his opponent had gone. After a while, he didn't seem to notice any movement, and leapt back towards Niko.

Then, something grabbed onto his foot and thrust him into the water as well.

"No!" Niko shouted. Haxorus and Sceptile fought in the water, slashing and clawing at one another until Haxorus managed to kick Sceptile in the stomach, giving it time to get back onto the closest platform. Later, Sceptile slowly made his way back onto another platform of his own, glowing a light purple color, just as Haxorus was.

Niko grit his teeth. This was over. They still had to face Lance's final Pokemon, whatever it was. He needed something desperate.

"Sceptile!" he shouted, feeling a surge of energy coursing through him. "Mega evolve!" The Sceptilite slung around the Forest Pokémon's next began to react, transforming Sceptile into his mega state. "Dragon claw!"

Mega Sceptile, still poisoned but feeling rejuvenated nevertheless, rocketed forward at Haxorus, mercilessly striking at the Axe Jaw Pokemon, who responded with outrage again. Both dragon fought on Haxorus' platform towards the center, neither giving in to the other. Eventually, Haxorus started to wobble slightly—it was fatigued from the outrage.

"Sceptile, leaf storm!" Niko shouted. Mega Sceptile spun around and blasted the exhausted Haxorus with a vortex of leaves, rocketing it backwards until it crashed onto a platform near Lance. Haxorus slowly got back up on its feet, but instead collapsed forward in defeat.

"Haxorus is unable to battle, Mega Sceptile is the winner!" the referee declared. "Lance will now use his sixth and final Pokemon!"

"Very well done, Niko," Lance said, surprised himself. "I watched your Sceptile take down those Ultra Beasts early on, and I wondered if it would make an appearance today. I'm glad it did. However, your challenge still ends now. Dragonite, I choose you!"

"Yep, that's it," Fay said, "Lance's strongest Pokemon. The Dragon Master's Ace."

"Sceptile…how're you feeling?" Niko asked. Mega Sceptile turned to him. Niko knew exactly how his Pokemon felt—he felt it too—but he wanted to hear it from him. The Forest Pokemon, who was by no means stupid, wobbled its head a little. He felt unsure. "Well…I believe in you, buddy. I think we can win this."

Sceptile smirked, and nodded back.

"Dragonite, use extremespeed!" Lance commanded. Niko's eyes widened when he saw the Dragon Pokemon shoot forward and tackle Mega Sceptile powerfully. Fortunately, Mega Sceptile managed to grab onto Dragonite and halt it, keeping both of them from crashing into the water below. "Ice punch!"

"Throw it!" Niko shouted. Mega Sceptile threw Dragonite to the side, still taking the frozen first to his shoulder. Sceptile reeled backwards as the platform threatened to capsize. "Leaf storm!"

"Extremespeed!" Lance commanded. Dragonite shot again at Mega Sceptile, grabbing him this time and carrying him around the field before throwing him into the pool below. "Now, draco meteor!"

Niko winced as he felt what Sceptile felt, causing his knees to buckle. "Sceptile…c'mon…get out of there…"

Soon enough, Sceptile managed to get onto the platform, just as the draco meteor exploded above him. Without thinking about it, he leapt onto the platform and looked up, jumping out of the way of an oncoming meteor. He repeated this multiple times, jumping from platform to platform to dodge the attacks. Once one had gotten close, but Niko commanded he block it with dragon claw. Sceptile did so, causing it to prematurely explode, but did minimal damage to the Forest Pokemon, who stood up straight as he glared over at Dragonite, who was floating just above a platform.

 _This battle isn't going anywhere…how do we get close enough to actually attack it?_ Niko thought to himself.

Then, for the first time during the battle, he finally heard the booing coming from Lance's side. The fanboys were at it again. Niko looked up at them and glared. "Sceptile, you ready to end this?"

Sceptile turned to Niko, surprised. He hadn't landed an attack on Dragonite yet! He still nodded, but was surprised by his trainer's audacity.

Niko then lifted his Z-ring, which held the Dragonium-Z in it. Lance noticed this, and held his up as well. Both performed the poses necessary to launch the attacks.

"Sceptile…"

"Dragonite…"

"USE DEVASTATING DRAKE!" They simultaneously roared. The Z-energy transferred to both Pokemon, giving them the power to use the incredible move.

Sceptile and Dragonite both fired large, purple-glowing auras in the shape of dragons at one another. The dragons flew and weaved around one another before colliding in the middle of the field, causing a massive explosion of draconic energy that knocked Sceptile and Dragonite backwards. By the end of it, half of the water in the battlefield was gone—it sprayed everywhere except where Niko and Lance were standing, luckily—as were some of the platforms. Sceptile and Dragonite lay on their front and backs, respectively, in the aftermath.

Niko, too, collapsed onto his knees, feeling the full weight of the combined attack as Sceptile did. He was panting hard, and sweating profusely. His vision started to blur a little, just as Mega Sceptile's did. _We have to keep going…_ he thought, slowly getting back up. He heard the fanboys yelling something about being weak. _We're not weak, Sceptile, we're not_.

"Sceptile…" Niko said, standing up but stumbling still, "use dragon claw!"

"Dragonite, draco meteor!" Lance shouted. Both Pokemon, now on their feet, fired their respective attacks. Sceptile charged across the field, leaping onto the platforms as he had done with Haxorus. He then spun once he got close to Dragonite and slashed at the Dragon Pokémon's belly, knocking it backwards. Sceptile then spun back around and fired a leaf storm from behind, knocking Dragonite into the water just as the meteors began to fall from the sky. He then leapt back and forth to dodge them, all before taking an ice punch to the back from Dragonite. Mega Sceptile fell forward, just as Niko did the same.

"No…this isn't over," Niko said, gritting his teeth. "Sceptile, come back over here…"

Mega Sceptile nodded, standing up just as he felt his tail being grabbed. Dragonite attempt to throw him, but Sceptile knew better. For the first time, he detached his tail and followed Niko's commands.

"Wait…I didn't…know you could do that…" Niko said when Sceptile landed on the platform closest to him. Mega Sceptile smirked and turned back to his opponent. "Right, let's finish this. Sceptile, use frenzy plant!"

"Dragonite, extremespeed!" Lance commanded. The Dragon Pokemon shot forward just as Mega Sceptile roared out, summoning spiked roots from the ground. They smacked into Dragonite, grabbing onto it and essentially tying it down. "Ice punch!"

"SCEPTILE, FINISH IT OFF WITH DRAGON CLAW!" Niko shouted. Mega Sceptile shot forward, his claws glowing a bright green color and elongating. He spun forward, slashing twice at Dragonite before passing by his opponent and landing on a platform to the right. The roots then disappeared, and Dragonite fell forward into the water, unmoving.

"Dragonite is unable to battle, Sceptile is the winner!" the judge declared as Sceptile reverted back to his ordinary form. "The victory goes to Niko from Pallet Town!"

"Agh!" Niko shouted as he collapsed forward. Sceptile managed to hold out long enough for them to declare victory, as he fell forward and fainted. Niko didn't, luckily, but everything was blurry—vision, sounds, touch. He panted continuously.

Then he felt a hand touch his shoulder. Shakily, he turned to see Charlotte crouched next to him. She kissed him on the cheek. "Everything is fine, Niko."

"Y-y-yeah, it is," Niko replied.

" **Wow! Champion Lance has lost! That means Niko will be advancing to the finals of the Pokemon World Tournament!** " Colton Goodshow declared. He cut the mic out again and turned to Ash. "Either way, you're fighting a friend this time around."

Ash nodded, sitting back. Pikachu was on his lap, and Serena seated next to him. "I think this'll be a good way to end the tournament."

* * *

Niko was slowly brought into the waiting room where he could rest for a while. As he collapsed onto the satin couch, he noticed he wasn't alone. Sitting across from him in an armchair was none other than Bonnie.

"Huh…?" Niko said, slowly sitting up. He felt like vomiting, but held it in. "Bonnie?"

"Yep! Hi Niko," the yellow-haired Champion of Kalos said cheerfully. "Looks like we'll finally get to battle!"

"…what…?" Niko asked, confused. He didn't think he was capable of thought anymore. His mind was foggy, and it was hard to hear.

"We're in the finals!" she said excitedly.

Niko's eyes widened. "I'm in the finals?"

"Yep!"

"And so are you?"

"Yep!"

Niko placed his head in his hands. "Hot damn…well, good… _burp_ …good luck."

"Thanks," Bonnie said, standing up and walking over to him. She slowly caressed his back. "And I hope you feel better. I won't try to hurt you as much as Lance did."

"Please don't," Niko said jokingly. "I'd like to make it out of this thing alive."

"We all would. You've got a bright future regardless. Can't let that talent go to waste!"

Niko nodded, and Bonnie left the room, leaving him entirely alone.

* * *

Later that evening, Niko managed to make it back to his hotel room, where everyone was sitting around him, talking about the match with Lance.

"Oh, you should've seen the fanboys afterwards!" Warren said, "They were _pissed_."

"What'd they say?" Niko asked, genuinely curious.

"Some said you cheated," Brittany replied. "Others were just in disbelief. I think a few of them have respect for you now."

"Oh, well that's good," Niko said sarcastically. Then, the doorbell rang. Niko slowly got up, waving to his friends that he would get it. He opened the door and saw a familiar black-haired, spectacle-wearing woman standing in the doorway.

"Hi Niko!" Melinda said excitedly.

"…hey!" Niko said in a delayed response, moving in to hug his former rival. "You…made it?"

"Yep! I saw your battles on television, and wondered why you hadn't told me!" Melinda said, with a smile nevertheless. "I'm really proud of you."

"Thanks, Melinda. Means a lot."

"That Sceptile has come a long way. I remember when it was just a little Treecko."

"Yeah, and it fought your Wingull. In fact, that was its first battle with me," he said, asking her to sit down with them. Melinda took a seat on Charlotte's bed, in between Charlotte and Lauren. Her recollection made Niko realize how far some of his Pokemon really have come. It briefly brought a tear to his eye, but he quickly batted it away. "Oh, Melinda, have you met Lauren?"

"No, I don't think so," Melinda said, turning to the purple-haired Frontier Brain. "Hi!"

"Hello," Lauren said, slightly nervous.

"Melinda was my rival in Hoenn. Melinda, Lauren was my rival and, err, girlfriend in Sinnoh," Niko said. It was weird to bring up past relationships with all three of the women he had feelings for at some point on his journey. To make matters more awkward, all three were sitting next to one another.

"Wow Niko, you've liked a lot of pretty girls!" Kaila said, completely unaware of how Niko felt about that. He turned beet red and shot a nasty glare at the little Alolan, who winked playfully.

"Anyway!" Brittany said, saving Niko from the embarrassment of having to respond, "Bonnie is your opponent, right? Do you know what she uses in battle?"

"Some of them," Niko said. "She has never used her sixth Pokemon, which I find troubling. To win I'm going to have to fight that…whatever it is. But I know she has a Dedenne, a Tyrantrum, a Blaziken, I think a Lapras, and…err…"

"Well, she probably has more than six Pokemon," Fay added, "she probably rotates them a lot."

"That's true, too," Niko said. "Those are just the one's I've seen."

"Do you know who you'll use?" Lauren asked.

"Not a clue. Ideally some of those that I haven't yet."

"But, Niko…" Jacob said cautiously. "This is the toughest match yet. Shouldn't you use your strongest?"

"No, Lance was the toughest. I think I can beat Bonnie. Well, I think I can beat five of her Pokemon," Niko said. "I mean…a Dedenne? Tyrantrum and Lapras don't seem too difficult given what I just faced in Wallace and Lance. I can combat Blaziken, I think. Oh! She had a Chesnaught, too! Psh, I've got that one in the bag."

"You're really confident about this," Charlotte said with a smile.

"Well, I'm trying to be realistic. I really think I can win against Bonnie."

"If you do, then it's you and Ash."

Niko nodded. He hadn't thought much about it. That would be, without a doubt, his hardest battle. More difficult than Lance…by far. "I know. One step at a time, though."

"You'll figure something out," Fay said. "It's late, and I'm gonna head back to my room," he said, getting out of his chair and walking out of the room, Cody and Jacob in tow. Slowly, everyone but Charlotte was in the room with Niko.

"Niko…" Charlotte said carefully.

"What's up?" Niko asked.

"Please be careful tomorrow," she said. "You and Sceptile had me worried. I really don't want you to be permanently damaged by this tournament."

"I won't, Charlotte. I promise," he said, kissing her goodnight. He then swiftly fell asleep, trying to get as much rest as he could for the following day.

* * *

 **Author's Note: On it's own, this chapter is now the longest at 7,462 words! What'd you think of this battle? Now it's only Niko and Bonnie left-who will win and get the chance to challenge Ash for the title? Hope you enjoyed!**


	19. Complete Order

**Episode 19: Complete Order**

" **Trainers from all around the world convened here to compete in the Pokemon World Tournament over a week ago. Of those trainers, some of them Champions of their region, members of Elite 4, and Conference Champions, only two remain. The winner of this match will move on to the World Championship match, where they will have the opportunity to challenge the incumbent World Champ, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!**

" **On one end we have the Champion of the Kalos region: from Lumiose City, please give a round of applause for Bonnie!**

" **And her challenger. He is the runner-up to the Champion's title in the Alola region, and a two-time regional Conference Champion: from Pallet Town, please welcome Niko!** "

* * *

"Hey, everyone," Niko said as he addressed all of his Pokemon at once. "We're now in the finals for the Pokemon World Tournament, against Bonnie. I just want to say I'm proud of each and every one of you. You've all played a role—big and small—in getting us to this point and, if we win today, then the victory is for you, and only you."

His Pokemon—from Venusaur to Naganadel—all stared at him. After a brief moment of silence, Delibird leapt into the air and cheered loudly, causing the others to quickly follow suit. This made Niko smile—he had the confidence of his Pokemon. In the end, that's what mattered.

At breakfast that morning, he sat with the usual group of people, plus Melinda. Everyone was eager to see the upcoming battle, in particular who Niko planned on using against her. They guessed the usual suspects—Venusaur: nope; Sceptile: too tired; Feraligatr: Niko wanted him in good shape in case they won.

"Then…who…?" Jake asked.

"You'll see," Niko said. "Trust me, I think we've got this."

"Alright, I believe you."

As he was walking towards the stadium, he noticed crowds of people forming around him. Some booed—likely Lance fanboys—while others seemed to cheer for him. He was more well-known now—not exactly something he was used to. It didn't help that of the semifinalists, he was the only competitor that wasn't a Champion or former Champion. He was a runner-up, sure, but that wasn't exactly the same thing. Plus, all of them had been Champion for years already. He was still very new on the scene.

He didn't have to go to the waiting room this time—Niko walked directly up to the tunnel that led to the battlefield. There, he parted ways with his friends and family, all of whom wished him good luck.

When he heard his name called, he walked onto the field amidst thousands of cheers. Looking around, the stadium seemed fuller than usual. _Maybe because the World Championship match will be after this_ , he thought, _that should draw in a lot of people_.

"Hi, Niko!" Bonnie said, waving to her opponent. She was wearing a forest green buttoned shirt and a matching skirt. Her yellow-blonde hair was braided and fell to one side. "I hope you're ready!"

Niko nodded. "I am!"

He saw Bonnie wink. "Good! Because I won't be holding back with you like I have with the others."

"That was holding back?" Niko asked, hands on his hips. "I don't believe it."

"You better!"

The referee then explained the rules of the match, which would be held on a swamp battlefield, before allowing the two trainers to send out their first Pokemon.

"And…begin!"

"Talonflame, you're up!" Niko shouted, summoning the Scorching Pokemon.

"Dedenne," Bonnie said, looking to her shoulder, where a small orange mouse sat. "You ready?" Dedenne chittered something before jumping onto the field. "Use discharge!"

"Talonflame, flame charge!" Niko commanded. Talonflame's body lit up on fire as she shot downwards towards her opponent, who released a mess of electricity in every direction, causing the fire type to swoop out of the way, yet continue on her path. "Attack!"

"Dedenne, use nuzzle!" Bonnie said in a high-pitched tone. Niko noticed the tiny creature quickly rub its cheeks before lunging at Talonflame. A burst of fire and electricity engulfed that part of the battlefield before both Pokemon crashed onto the ground. Talonflame couldn't move from paralysis, and Dedenne looked like he was burned in a few places.

"Return, Talonflame," Niko said, withdrawing the Scorching Pokemon, "you need your rest, buddy. Can't have you losing in the first round. Reuniclus, I choose you!"

"Dedenne, discharge again!" Bonnie commanded. The Antennae Pokemon leapt into the air, rubbing his cheeks before releasing another powerful blast of electricity.

"Future sight!" Niko shouted. Reuniclus, ignoring Dedenne's attack, fired electrically-charged objects into wormholes above the battlefield. The objects disappeared almost as quickly as they appeared. Immediately after, Reuniclus got hit by the discharge. "Use hidden power!"

The Multiplying Pokemon summoned light red balls of energy and threw them, one by one, at Dedenne, who skillfully leapt and dodged each one before charging at Reuniclus himself. Once it was close enough a thick, white smoke erupted around Reuniclus. _What the…?_ Niko thought to himself. He then saw, through Reuniclus' mind, images of Dedenne slamming against her, knocking her from side to side with an unusually powerful force.

"Use psychic!" Niko commanded. Reuniclus found Dedenne and, her eyes glowing, grabbed the Antennae Pokemon and launched him backwards, out of the white smoke cloud. "Now, rollout!"

"Dedenne, nuzzle!" Bonnie commanded. Dedenne rubbed his cheeks quickly to charge up electricity, striking Reuniclus just as the Multiplying Pokemon crashed into him. "Now, foul play again!"

Niko grit his teeth. He shouldn't have used a physical move like that. _Blast it_ , he said as he saw images through Reuniclus' mind. _Hold on, buddy, you can get through this_. They waited it out, with Niko knowing Reuniclus could handle whatever Dedenne threw at them. Once he saw the psychic type starting to move again, that's when he knew the match was over. "Hidden power again!"

"Dedenne, giga impact!" Bonnie shouted. The tiny, _tiny_ Pokemon surrounded itself in a white and orange coat of swirling energy. It then rocketed at Reuniclus, who responded by firing red balls of energy at the Antennae Pokemon. None of them did anything, but Niko didn't give any follow-up. He knew what was coming.

Suddenly, two wormholes opened up, firing down electrically-charged psychic objects that struck Dedenne in the back, disrupting the giga impact and knocking him to the ground. _Nice timing…_ Niko smirked. "Reuniclus, use psychic!"

The Multiplying Pokémon's eyes started glowing as it grabbed Dedenne and launched it into a nearby tree at full force. The little fairy type crashed into the trunk of the tree and fall forward in defeat.

"Dedenne is unable to battle, Reuniclus is the winner!" the referee declared. "Champion Bonnie will now use her second Pokemon!"

"Return, Dedenne," Bonnie said. "Well done, Niko. I'll be honest, I forgot about future sight for a minute. Lapras, I choose you!"

"Reuniclus, use rollout," Niko said calmly. The Multiplying Pokemon wrapped herself in a ball and shot towards Lapras, who responded with an ice beam that, effectively, froze Reuniclus. "Hidden power!" Niko shouted.

"Hydro pump!" Bonnie commanded. The Transport Pokemon opened its mouth, firing a high-pressured blast of water at the frozen Reuniclus, who was attempting to melt herself out of the ice. The hydro pump knocked her backwards and into a pond near the middle of the field. "Earthquake!"

"Reuniclus, hidden power again!" Niko commanded. Slowly, but surely, Reuniclus made her way out of the ice, only to be shaken by the earthquake, keeping her down. "Use future sight!"

"Lapras, hydro pump!" Bonnie continued. The Transport Pokemon fired another blast of water at Reuniclus, who took the hit just after using future sight. "Now, follow up with ice beam!"

"Hidden power!" Niko cried out, thrusting a hand forward. Reuniclus blocked the ice beam with the hidden power before floating to the side and firing more at Lapras. "Now, psychic!"

"Hydro pump!" Bonnie commanded. Lapras shot another blast of water which Reuniclus, somehow, managed to halt midway with psychic. "Ice beam!"

"Hidden power!" Niko shouted. Reuniclus attempted to block the ice beam once more, but found herself unable to. She was more exhausted now, and Niko could tell. The ice beam struck her in the torso and knocked her out of the air. The Multiplying Pokemon crashed onto her back, struggling to get back up.

"Reuniclus is unable to battle, Lapras is the winner! Niko will now send out his next Pokemon!" the referee declared.

"Return, Reuniclus. Thank you," Niko said. "Manectric, I choose you!"

Niko noticed Bonnie smirk. "I expected something like that to show up, only in the form of your Venusaur or Eelektross instead. But this'll do. Lapras, use earthquake!"

"Manectric, thunder!" Niko commanded. Just before the ground began to aggressively shake, Manectric summoned every bit of electricity he had and rained it down from the skies onto Lapras, who followed up with the move all the same. Both Pokemon cried out from the strength of the other's attacks. Combined, both created an almost deafening sound. "Now, use howl!"

"Lapras, ice beam!" Bonnie shouted, Lapras took advantage of the lack of offense on Manectric's part by shooting a stream of ice energy at him. The Discharge Pokemon took the hit, growling low in response.

"Wild charge!" Niko shouted. Just before Manectric burst into an electrically-charged run, Bonnie withdrew a pokéball.

"Lapras, return," she said with a wink. "I can play smart, too, Niko. I'm not about to let Lapras lose to an electric type. Tyrantrum, I choose you!"

"Manectric, you ready?" Niko asked. The Discharge Pokemon turned to his trainer and nodded. "Perfect. Use wild charge!"

"Tyrantrum, wait…" Bonnie said calmly. The Despot Pokemon stood still, its feet grounded in the muddy floor of the battlefield. "…now! Use dragon claw!"

Tyrantrum's claws elongated and burst into a bright green aura as it brought them down on Manectric, who nevertheless managed to strike it with wild charge. Manectric was thrown to the side from the force of dragon claw, slowly trying to get back onto his feet.

"Use earthquake!" Bonnie commanded. Tyrantrum roared out as it shook the ground viciously. "Now use head smash!"

"Thunder!" Niko roared. Manectric slowly got back up, his legs wobbling from the multiple earthquakes. Once he saw Tyrantrum charging towards him, its head essentially on fire, Manectric howled loudly, summoning a powerful surge of electricity to rain down from the sky and onto the Despot Pokemon, halting it in its tracks. "Now, use wild charge!"

"Head smash!" Bonnie commanded. Tyrantrum shook its head, bowing low once more to charge at Manectric, who also ran forward to attack his opponent.

Both Pokemon collided powerfully, causing a shockwave to erupt along the ground, knocking over trees and emptying ponds along the swamp battlefield. A wave of mud ran over both Tyrantrum and Manectric. The latter was rocketed backwards, landing near the base of a tree, panting heavily.

"Manectric…?" Niko asked. The Discharge Pokemon nodded, slowly getting back up, which made Niko smile. "Good work, buddy. Let's keep it up, use discharge!"

"Earthquake!" Bonnie commanded. The shaking battlefield disrupted Manectric attack, causing him to stumble and fall over on his side. He tried to get back up, and did, but collapsed a second time, out of energy.

"Manectric is unable to battle, Tyrantrum is the winner!" the referee declared, "Niko will now use his next Pokemon!"

"Numel, I choose you!" Niko shouted, summoning the Numb Pokemon. "It's been a while. You ready?" Numel, stoic as ever, nodded without looking at his trainer. "Use earth power!"

"Tyrantrum, earthquake!" Bonnie commanded. The earth shook powerfully as a ripple made its way underground towards the Despot Pokemon, exploding just underneath it and shooting it a couple feet into the air. "Dragon claw!"

"Numel, still feeling good?" Niko asked, the Numb Pokemon nodding. "Alright, then! Use magnitude!"

Numel wasted no time in attacking, once more shaking the ground with as much power as he could. It hardly seemed to stop Tyrantrum, however, whose claws were now longer and glowing bright green. Niko grit his teeth—nothing seemed to stop this thing.

"Earth power, again!" Niko commanded. When Tyrantrum was close enough, Numel slammed his front feet onto the ground, causing a wave to ripple underneath them. It exploded just below Tyrantrum, causing it to trip and crash face-forward.

"Tyrantrum, get up!" Bonnie shouted.

"Numel, use magnitude at full power!" Niko roared.

"Tyrantrum, draco meteor!" Bonnie commanded. An orange shimmer surrounded Tyrantrum's body as it fired an orange ball into the sky. It exploded high above them, raining down smaller orbs. Numel, meanwhile, viciously shook the ground as he roared out loudly.

"FLAMETHROWER!" Niko commanded, thrusting a hand forward. He noticed Numel's hump starting to glow and, moments later, watching a stream of blue fire erupt from his Pokémon's mouth. It didn't do much to Tyrantrum other than leave a burn, though. "Now, earth power again!"

"Head smash!" Bonnie shouted. Tyrantrum lowered its head and charged at Numel, who sent another ripple of earth outwards. It collided with the Despot Pokemon, knocking it to the ground and disrupting the attack.

"Finish it off with magnitude!" Niko commanded. Numel, once more, shook the ground, removing any chance of Tyrantrum getting back up.

"Tyrantrum is unable to battle, Numel is the winner!" the referee declared. "Champion Bonnie will now use her next Pokemon!"

"Return, Tyrantrum," Bonnie said with a smile. "You did great! Lapras, I choose you!"

"Oof, alright then. Numel, return," Niko said. "I want to keep you around, too," he said.

"So right now…they're tied," Warren said, looking up at the monitor showing each trainer's available Pokemon. "Niko has lost two, and so has Bonnie."

"That could change in a second, too," Jacob said, "for either side, really."

Niko pulled out his next pokéball. "You're then only one that can take down this Lapras. It's on you, buddy. Torterra, I choose you!" he shouted, summoning the Continent Pokemon. "Let's start out with leaf storm!"

"TERRA!" Torterra roared as the tree on his back rustled, firing a vortex of sharp leaves at Lapras, who attempted to retaliate with ice beam.

"Energy ball!" Niko followed up. He needed to defeat Lapras. He was confident he could win if he could defeat Lapras. The Continent Pokemon fired a light green ball made entirely of pure energy at Lapras, who blocked it with ice beam. "Leaf storm, again!"

"Lapras, use earthquake!" Bonnie shouted, clearly in hopes that it would throw Torterra off of his guard. It hardly seemed to work, with the Continent Pokemon successfully striking his opponent with leaf storm yet again.

"Torterra, earthquake as well!" Niko shouted. Both Pokemon then aggressively shook the ground, causing trees around the battlefield to collapse and mud to be sprayed everywhere. Niko could tell Lapras was exhausted by now, but he couldn't let up.

"Lapras, sheer cold!" Bonnie commanded.

"Leaf storm, quickly!" Niko shouted. Torterra roared out, firing an even larger volume of leaves than before, each of them striking Lapras before the Transport Pokemon could use its move. "Now, finish it off with energy ball!"

"TERRA!" Torterra roared out, summoning another ball of pure energy and firing it directly at Lapras, striking it in the chest. Lapras' head then fell forward, crashing into the mud below it.

"Lapras is unable to battle, Torterra is the winner! Champion Bonnie will now use her fourth Pokemon!" the referee declared. "The battlefield will also now be change. Both trainers please return your Pokemon."

"Return, Lapras. Well done," Bonnie said calmly.

"Return, Torterra," Niko said quietly. "I think we can win this now, thanks to you," _I need to conserve as many Pokemon as possible. Bonnie still worries me._

In the Champion's Box, President Goodshow turned to his right to see Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and now Clemont sitting next to him. To his left were Cynthia, Lance, and Hau.

"Clemont, how're you feeling?"

"Really proud of my sister," the Lumiose Gym Leader said, adjusting his glasses.

"Do you think she can beat Niko?"

"Of course I do. Her team is made to defeat him."

"Could she beat Ash?" Goodshow continued.

Clemont looked to his best friend, and then back to the president. "I think so."

"Ash, what are your thoughts?"

"I'd be honored to fight either of them for the title," Ash said calmly. "I think Niko is doing unusually well right now. However, all of his Pokemon except one have now seen battle, and only three of Bonnie's have, so he still has an uphill climb."

"And then there's her sixth," Clemont said, "was she able to get in contact with it?" he turned to Ash, who probably knew better than he."

The World Champion nodded. "Indeed. I'm surprised she managed to get this far with only five Pokemon. Did she not want to use a sixth?"

Clemont shook his head. "She's stubborn like that. It always has to be on her team if she uses all six, you know that."

"What is her sixth?" Cynthia asked, "Out of curiosity."

"You might get a chance to see," Ash said, leaning over to directly address the Sinnoh Champion. "Niko looks like he's on the path to reveal it."

Down on the battlefield, Niko watched as the field shifted from a swamp to a rocky one, with stones littered everywhere to give it more of a wasteland look. He looked down at his next Pokemon. He had four left, compared to Bonnie's three. The odds were, at the moment, in his favor. But he knew, better than anyone, that it could change on a dime.

"You may begin!"

"Chesnaught, I choose you!" Bonnie shouted, summoning the Spiny Armor Pokemon.

"Talonflame, you're up!" Niko shouted. "Use flame charge!"

"Spiky shield!" Bonnie commanded. Talonflame shot downwards, its body entirely on fire, and collided with Chesnaught, whose spike-covered shell poked her in the face, causing her to fall backwards onto the ground. "Now, hammer arm!"

"Talonflame, roll to the side!" Niko shouted. Talonflame, still far faster than Chesnaught, managed to evade the attack and get back into the air. "Flame charge again!"

Now even faster, Talonflame rocketed at Chesnaught, striking the Spiny Armor Pokemon in the chest and dragging it along the battlefield, kicking up dirt and rocks as they did so. Eventually Chesnaught grabbed Talonflame's wings and lifted its knee to connect with the Scorching Pokémon's torso. "Hammer arm!" Bonnie shouted, and just as Chesnaught let go it pummeled Talonflame in the back with both of its arms connected together. Talonflame crumbled to the ground like a rag doll.

Bonnie and Chesnaught gave Talonflame time to get back up, which took longer than it normally would—the fire type was tired. Then, once it was standing up, Bonnie continued. "Use seed bomb!"

Chesnaught opened its mouth and fired glowing green seeds at Talonflame. Each one managed to hit, knocking the Scorching Pokemon on her back.

"And hammer arm!" Bonnie commanded. Chesnaught roared as it charged towards its opponent, arms glowing white.

"Talonflame, dodge and come back to me!" Niko said. Talonflame rolled to the side once more, got back up, and flew over to her trainer. "Alright…this is tougher than it should be. Let's just make you as fast as you can be. Use flame charge, but circle the battlefield first, alright?"

Talonflame nodded, getting back into the air and rocketing off, flying in circles above Chesnaught several times before, on Niko's command, she dive down. However, Bonnie and Chesnaught were once more prepared. "Use spiky shield!" Bonnie shouted. Chesnaught spun around just before Talonflame reached it. The Scorching Pokemon hit the shell and was thrown backwards from the spikes. "Now, hammer arm again!"

While Talonflame was catching her breath, Chesnaught lumbered over and slammed its arm down on Talonflame's back, knocking her into the ground again. However, Niko noticed the Spiny Armor Pokemon had a burn. _Is…that new?_

"Talonflame, come back to me," Niko said calmly. Talonflame nodded, getting back into the air and slowly nearing Niko. "You're doing great so far. I think we've got it now. Do the same thing as before, but with sharper turns, alright?"

Talonflame nodded, got back into the air, and fired at Chesnaught. Once she was close, she evaded a hammer arm and continued turning, eventually spinning around Chesnaught and creating a fiery vortex that engulfed it. Niko noticed the burn mark on its arm expand to Chesnaught's entire arm. It was on fire now.

"Talonflame, finish Chesnaught off with brave bird!" Niko shouted. Talonflame shot directly into the air, peaking at well over a hundred yards, and dove directly down at the Spiny Armor Pokemon at a speed that Bonnie and Chesnaught couldn't react to. Niko blinked and his Pokemon had already collided with her opponent, causing a large explosion of dust and dirt to cover the field.

Once the dust dissipated, Niko saw Talonflame limping out and away from a defeated Chesnaught.

"Chesnaught is unable to battle, Talonflame is the winner! Bonnie will now use her fifth Pokemon!" the referee declared.

"Niko's lead is increasing," Lauren observed. "He's doing really well."

"Talonflame, you're doing great!" Niko said, throwing a thumbs up. The Scorching Pokemon nodded, still panting heavily. The brave bird really did her in. "Do you want to continue?" she nodded. "That's my bird. Let's go."

"Blaziken, I choose you!" Bonnie shouted, summoning the Blaze Pokemon. She smirked. "This is going really well, I think. You're the most challenging opponent I've had in a while, Niko. Blaziken, use brave bird!"

"Talonflame, steel wing!" Niko commanded. Talonflame got back into the air, her wings bursting into a light grey color. She shot downwards at the tall, chicken-like creature who leapt into the air surprisingly well. The two Pokemon collided and repelled one another. Blaziken managed to land on its feet, while Talonflame crashed into the ground, screeching as she did so. "Alright…Talonflame, let's see how much damage we can do. Use brave bird!"

"Blaziken, wait…" Bonnie said calmly. Talonflame charged downwards, erupting in a bright blue aura before attempting to crash into Blaziken. "Now! Use sky uppercut!"

Fortunately, Talonflame was faster, striking Blaziken and crashing into the ground. Once the resulting dust cloud settled, Niko noticed Blaziken shove an unconscious Talonflame off of it.

"Talonflame is unable to battle, Blaziken is the winner! Niko will now use his next Pokemon!" the referee declared.

"Now it's 3 against 2," Warren said nervously.

"We know, we know," Sydney replied sympathetically.

"Return, Talonflame. You did amazing. I'm so proud of you," Niko said, exchanging pokéballs. "Slurpuff, you're up!"

"Hmm, a fairy type," Bonnie said curiously. "Solid choice. Blaziken!" she shouted, lifting her wrist to show off her mega ring. "Mega evolve!"

The Blazikenite around the Blaze Pokémon's neck started to shine bright as the entire creature began to transform. It lost its yellow markings on its legs, but gained black markings on its upper legs and chest. Its hair-like feathers took on a wing shape and pointed upwards, and the portion around its chest is rough around its shoulders. The crest on its head changed into a flat horn that curved backward.

"Blaziken, use flare blitz!" Bonnie commanded.

"Slurpuff, use dazzling gleam!" Niko commanded. The Meringue Pokémon's eyes began to glow as she summoned a powerful burst of pink light in Mega Blaziken's direction. When he noticed Blaziken still continuing on its warpath, he switched strategies. "Cotton guard instead!"

Slurpuff quickly conjured a soft, fluffy shield in front of her in hopes of minimizing the power of the attack. Mega Blaziken, ultimately, managed to tackle Slurpuff—and _hard_ —but the fairy type didn't seem as fazed.

"Blaze kick!" Bonnie shouted.

"Play rough!" Niko shouted. Slurpuff whipped up a cloud of white smoke and, dodging the fiery kick to the face, launched punches and kicks of her own, eventually knocking the Blaze Pokemon to the ground. "Now, dazzling gleam!"

"Blaziken, brave bird!" Bonnie shouted. Mega Blaziken swiftly got onto its feet and, its body bursting with blue flames, tackled the Meringue Pokemon, dragging her along the battlefield until they crashed into an unusually large rock at the edge of the battlefield.

"Slurpuff, psychic!" Niko commanded. Suddenly, Mega Blaziken was lifted into the air and thrown backwards. "Now, dazzling gleam!"

Another burst of bright light and Slurpuff was back in the battle. Niko commanded her to use play rough, only this time Blaziken managed to block most of the attacks that Slurpuff threw at it, ultimately resulting in a stalemate between the two Pokemon.

 _Slurpuff is certainly not as powerful as a Mega Blaziken…_ Niko thought to himself, _but we still have an advantage—health, and psychic_. "Slurpuff, use psychic again!"

"Brave bird!" Bonnie commanded. Niko turned to look at her. For a brief moment, she looked nervous. But her expression turned to one of determination almost as quickly.

Blaziken shot forward, faster than Slurpuff could react, and nearly managed to tackle the fairy type to the ground before the latter grabbed ahold of it with her psychic abilities. Mega Blaziken was thrust into the air before being subsequently thrown back into the ground.

"Now, finish it off with play rough!" Niko commanded, throwing his hand out. Slurpuff charged at Blaziken, who managed to slowly get back up before the Meringue Pokemon reached it, and spun around to hit Slurpuff in the face with blaze kick. "Duck!" Niko shouted, and Slurpuff slid underneath her opponent before creating the white smoke cloud and grabbing Mega Blaziken's other foot, causing the Blaze Pokemon to trip and crash into the ground. Slurpuff then mercilessly beat down on her opponent until the smoke dissipated, leaving only a motionless Blaziken who reverted to its prior form.

Bonnie blinked. "What the…"

"Oh my god…he's gonna win this," Lauren said, hand to her mouth.

"Blaziken is unable to battle, Slurpuff is the winner! Champion Bonnie will now use her sixth and final Pokemon!" the referee declared.

" **Would you look at that, folks? Niko has managed to get Bonnie down to her last Pokemon! This is the first time—in a long time—we've seen the Kalos Champion use her sixth! We're all waiting in anticipation to see what it is!** "

"Blaziken, return," Bonnie said, looking up at Niko with surprise. "You got me there, Niko. Blaziken is usually the one that finishes my matches for me. When I went to the Hoenn region for the first time, she was my first—and only—Pokemon. Just like you, and just like Ash, I started fresh in every region I travelled to.

"But I think I'm going to come out as the winner here," she pulled out a small, purple pokéball. Niko had only seen a pokéball like that on a few occasions, but never owned one himself.

It was a Master Ball.

"Squishy, I choose you!" she shouted, throwing the Master Ball into the air and summoning, of all things, a small, green cell with a single eye and a red hexagonal spot on its stomach.

"…what…?" Niko said, tilting his head. "That's it?"

Bonnie winked. "Nope. Squishy, 50%!"

Suddenly green streaks of light poured down from the sky, seemingly in every direction, and striking at the green cell. Suddenly, it began to grow immensely. The new form had a serpentine body with green and black markings. Most of its back was black, while the underbelly and tip of its tail were glowing green. It's were made of four green hexagons, similar to an insect with compound eyes. Across the back of its neck was a large frill made of long, flat protrusions. There were three short tendrils on either side of its chest, and its tail ended in five tendrils. It had small, green hexagon markings on its body that could glow.

"That Pokemon is called Zygarde," Fay said, taking Cody's tablet again. "It's called the Order Pokemon, and is a dragon and ground type. This is Zygarde's form when about half of its pieces have been assembled. It plays the role of monitoring the ecosystem."

"Wait…that's only _half_ of it?" Brittany asked, Fay nodding in response. "Oh boy…"

"Bonnie, what is this!?" Niko shouted.

"It's Squishy, otherwise known as Zygarde!" Bonnie said back. "Squishy is my favorite Pokemon, next to Dedenne of course!"

"Wait, she _owns_ Zygarde…?" Kukui asked, shooting a curious glare at Ash and Clemont.

"Yeah, she owns Zygarde," Ash said casually, leaning back in his chair. "Has for years now. Although, it isn't with her most of the time. Only when she needs it."

"And she thought she'd need it for Niko?" Kukui asked, only to see Ash nod. "Wow…think she'll win?"

"Dunno, maybe," Ash said, "Niko still has half of his team, even though all of them have seen battle, and Zygarde isn't even in its final form."

Niko was stunned. He had heard about Zygarde, but never thought he'd be fighting one, in an official match of all places. He could sense that Slurpuff wasn't too happy about this, either. "Hey…we can win this, buddy," Niko said calmly. The Meringue Pokemon, usually in a cheerful mood, turned to her trainer with a look of sheer horror. "Trust me, we can. You can beat this thing. I think it's a dragon type, too, so it's limited in what it can use against you."

This seemed to make Slurpuff feel slightly better, as fighting dragon types normally did for her.

"Squishy, use land's wrath!" Bonnie commanded powerfully, thrusting a finger forward. Squishy started to glow a bright green color, causing beams of light to emerge from the ground. The rocky terrain between it and Slurpuff shattered, with a bright green light emerging and striking Slurpuff quicker than she could respond.

"Slurpuff, use dazzling gleam!" Niko shouted once the attack terminated, and Slurpuff could get back up again. The Meringue Pokémon's eyes began to glow, and a bright pink light emerged from her body, enveloping the entire field. Zygarde started to screech loudly—it hated this move, clearly. "There we go! Slurpuff, use cotton guard and follow up with play rough!" Niko shouted, thrusting a hand out. Slurpuff put together soft, fluffy cotton-armor to buffer herself against any possible attacks and charged towards the damaged Zygarde.

"Squishy, 100%!" Bonnie commanded. Suddenly more green lights rained down on the battlefield, changing Squishy's form once more once a second cell appeared on the battlefield, only this cell had a blue hexagonal spot.

"Wow, that's awfully early," Ash said.

"She's threatened by…Slurpuff…" Clemont said, adjusting his glasses. "That's crazy!"

"It is a fairy type, after all," Serena said quietly and obviously.

Zygarde's new form took on a humanoid shape with a long tail similar to its previous form. There were several flat protrusions around its head and triangular protrusions around its neck, giving it a crown-shaped appearance. On its face were three white hexagonal marks: one in the middle of its forehead with a line through it and two being that acting as eyes. There were an additional five green hexagons on its face.

Each shoulder had two wings protruding from it. These wings all had a hexagon and an undulating pattern: blue on the right side and red on the left. It had multiple white protrusions on its body: three on each hand acting as claw, one on each knee, and one on the front of each foot. Additionally, there were green extensions surrounding its wrists and under its knees and feet. Its abdomen had a vertical, hexagonal pattern upon it with two thin, white, and vertical marks on either side. Across its chest was a thin, zigzagging opening that seemed to change color.

 _We have to fight this thing? Slurpuff, Numel, and Torterra?_ Niko thought to himself. He really wished that he had brought Feraligatr or Venusaur with— _No! No! They can do this! What am I thinking!? I chose them—caught them—for a reason!_ "Slurpuff!" Niko shouted, quickly reaching into his pocket in search of a Z-crystal. He finally found it—a light pink crystal. "LET'S GO!"

Slurpuff turned to Niko curiously, seeing him input the Fairium-Z.

"SLURPUFF, USE TWINKLE TACKLE!" Niko bellowed, following the poses that Mina taught him back on Poni Island several months prior. Slurpuff then felt a surge of energy passing through her.

The space around them suddenly turned into an odd, psychedelic blue and white-colored dimension with pink stars floating around. Slurpuff then disappeared into the space before reappearing in front of Squishy and swiftly disappearing once more. She continued this before finally appearing in front of her opponent and tackling it with all of her power, knocking Squishy backwards and causing it to stumble before re-orienting itself.

Then the dimension disappeared.

"Slurpuff, dazzling gleam!" Niko commanded.

"Extremespeed, Squishy!" Bonnie shouted. Squishy shot at Slurpuff, grabbing it before she could use her attack. Squishy then thrust her into the ground, pinning her. "Land's wrath!"

The ground began to glow once more, exploding and enveloping the battlefield in a bright green color. Squishy then let go and stood straight up. It was even taller than Zygarde's 50% form was.

"Slurpuff is unable to battle, Zygarde is the winner!" the referee declared. "Niko will now use his next Pokemon!"

 _Shit…Slurpuff was my best chance. Well, let's see what we can still do_ , Niko thought to himself. "Slurpuff, you did excellent. I'm very proud of you for standing up to Zygarde like that. Numel, I choose you!" he shouted, summoning the Numb Pokemon. "Use earth power!"

"Land's wrath!" Bonnie commanded. The Order Pokemon slammed its foot into the ground, causing it to crack and erupt in a green light, entirely negating Numel's attack and causing him to wince briefly. "Now, dragon pulse!"

Squishy's chest opened up, allowing Niko to see five small cores sitting inside, each shimmering a different color. It then fired the pulse of draconic energy at Numel, who responded in kind with flamethrower. The dragon pulse quickly overpowered the fire, ripping through it and hitting Numel. The Numb Pokemon fell backwards, rolling along the ground before coming to a stop in front of Niko.

"Hey buddy…" Niko said, crouching down. "Remember when we met? You wanted to kill me because I pissed you off. You wouldn't give up. I had to catch you just to get you to stop running! You've never given up since, let's not do it now."

Numel, normally stoic, smirked at Niko, and slowly got back on his feet, turning to face Zygarde.

"Numel, use magnitude, full power!" Niko roared. Numel slammed his feet back on the ground, causing it to erupt. Unfortunately, Squishy opened its wings and shot into the air. Its chest opened up once more, forming an orb in front of it.

"Squishy, use core enforcer!" Bonnie commanded. Squishy then fired a beam of multicolored energy from the orb at the ground underneath Numel, forming a light green Z-shape. The ground under the letter then exploded, with Numel in the center.

"NUMEL!" Niko shouted as his Pokemon was thrown backwards through the air, crashing just behind him. "Numel…" Niko said frantically as he ran over to the Numb Pokemon.

"Numel is unable to battle, Zygarde is the winner! Niko will now use his final Pokemon!" the referee declared.

Niko turned to Bonnie and Zygarde. _No way this is fair…_ he thought. _That move is so intense._ "Numel, I'm proud of you. Please get some rest," he stood back up, walking to his end of the field and, swiftly, withdrawing his final pokéball. "It's all on you. Torterra!"

"It's all he's got left…" Warren said, his head sinking. "Geez…"

"Niko can win," Charlotte said decisively.

"Charlotte, really…" Jacob said, "there's no way he can beat this thing."

"He can. I know he can," she said with her characteristic stubbornness. "If you're his friend you'll believe in him too."

"I do, but—" Jacob looked at Charlotte, who was glaring at him. "Right. Go Niko!"

"Torterra, it's down to you now," Niko said calmly. "That's Zygarde—Bonnie's last Pokemon. It's a dragon and ground type, but it can fly. I trust you can defeat it."

Torterra simply nodded.

"Right. We've dealt with more difficult things. Torterra, use energy ball!"

"Squishy, land's wrath!" Bonnie shouted. Zygarde crashed back to the ground, causing the battlefield to explode once more in a green light. Just as suddenly, a light green ball of energy struck Zygarde in the chest. It looked and noticed Torterra standing completely still, a vortex of leaves covering it. "What the…?"

"Serperior isn't the only one who can do this," Niko muttered with a smirk. "Torterra, use leaf storm!"

"Squishy, dragon pulse!" Bonnie shouted. The Order Pokemon opened its chest and fired a wave of draconic energy that ran through the leaf storm. Both Pokemon felt themselves take the brunt of the other's attack, with Zygarde stumbling backwards as Torterra winced. "Now, use extremespeed!"

"Torterra, crunch!" Niko shouted just as soon as he saw Zygarde rocket forward. Torterra opened his mouth and bit down on the Order Pokémon's hand as it thrusted it forward to punch. Squishy screeched out as Torterra's powerful grip held on. "Now, earthquake!"

"Squishy, land's wrath!" Bonnie shouted. While still in Torterra's grip, Zygarde shook the ground once more, causing it to explode underneath both of them. Nevertheless, Torterra held on.

"Leaf storm!" Niko roared. Torterra then pelted Zygarde with a heavy vortex of leaves. Still not letting go. "Don't give in! Energy ball!"

Zygarde's hand exploded as Torterra fired an energy ball inside his mouth. An explosion ensued, causing smoke to billow from the Continent Pokémon's mouth just as Zygarde reeled back, clearly injured by the attack.

"Squishy, use core enforcer!" Bonnie commanded.

 _Shit! How do we evade that?_ Niko thought, panicking slightly. "Torterra, leaf storm again!"

The Continent Pokemon rustled the tree on his back and fired a heavy volume of leaves at Zygarde, who was busy preparing to fire a multi-colored beam of energy down at him. The leaf storm struck Zygarde, who collapsed back to the ground before still managing to fire the attack at Torterra. The Z-shaped crack exploded, rocketing Torterra into the air.

Niko looked up, seeing an opportunity. Torterra was probably in severe pain right now, but he could still attack. "Use earthquake!" Niko shouted.

Torterra, a very heavy Pokemon, crashed onto the ground powerfully, landing on his feet and aggressively shaking the battlefield. Zygarde collapsed onto a knee. They were getting somewhere.

"Energy ball!" Niko commanded.

"Land's wrath!" Bonnie shouted. Both attacks fired again, resulting in both Pokemon hitting the other. Niko could see Zygarde was exhausted; similarly, so was Torterra. Both were panting by now.

 _It's coming to a close,_ Niko thought, _this battle, this tournament. Ash's challenger will be decided in just a moment_.

"Torterra…it's now or never. We've got to end this. Use earthquake!"

"Dragon pulse!" Bonnie shouted. Both attacks finally fired, striking at the same time. Amidst the cloud of dust and smoke that erupted, Niko could see Zygarde collapsing onto the ground, just as he saw Torterra crash down. _Could it end in a tie?_ He thought.

The dust finally settled, with Niko seeing green streaks of light shooting into the air. Torterra was shakily standing up, watching Zygarde disintegrate into its 50% form, and then into an unfamiliar form that looked like a hound, until it finally reduced to a single cell, the same way it was sent out.

"Zygarde is unable to battle, Torterra is the winner! The victory goes to Niko from Pallet Town!"

Everyone's jaws dropped—except Charlotte's. There was a brief moment of silence before the crowd erupted in applause.

" **There we have it, folks! The winner of the second part of the Pokemon World Tournament is Niko from Pallet Town!** " Colton Goodshow declared. " **Niko will now have the opportunity to challenge the incumbent World Champion, Ash Ketchum!** "

Niko ignored the applause, watching Torterra still attempting to stand. He walked onto the devastated battlefield and sat down in front of the Continent Pokemon. "You can crash now, buddy," he said calmly. Torterra smiled weakly before letting his legs give out. "I'm really, really proud of you. You have no idea."

"Tor…"

"Who would've thought it? That we would get this far? You, and everyone else. You took down a legendary Pokemon, Torterra! You, and Slurpuff, and Numel did that! I wasn't expecting Zygarde, and neither were you, but you stepped up and you _won_ ," a tear ran down Niko's face. "I still don't believe it."

"Terra…" Torterra said, rubbing his forehead against Niko's.

Suddenly, he felt something tap his shoulder. He turned and looked up to see Bonnie staring down at him with an eager smile.

"You're incredible, Niko," she said, helping her victorious opponent stand back up. "I don't remember the last time Squishy lost a battle, if I'm being honest."

"Well, I was panicking inside."

"Exactly!" Bonnie said, poking him in the chest. "You felt it _inside_! I—and definitely not your Pokemon—noticed that! That's the secret to good battling! Keeping your emotions in check! Keeping everything in order!"

Niko smirked. "Well, thanks. So…now what?"

"Now you fight Ash," Bonnie said. "Right. Now."

"WHAT!?" Niko said, visibly panicking. Bonnie then began laughing loudly.

"I'm kidding!" she said. "President Goodshow does want to meet with you, though. He'll explain the rest later."

Niko nodded, looking up to the box high up to his left. There, Ash Ketchum was likely sitting. His next—and final—opponent.

* * *

"YOU BEAT A ZYGARDE!" Warren shouted, opening his arms to tackle Niko as usual. This time, they were at the front of a very large crowd. "A ZYGARDE!"

"Well, Slurpuff, Numel, and Torterra did," Niko said with a smirk.

"You still did it, though," Fay argued, "you commanded them in battle. The victory is also yours."

Niko smiled, and turned to Charlotte, who reached up to kiss him. "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks," he looked out at his other friends and former rivals. Even Elliot was standing there. "Now it's just Ash."

"And you can do it," Elliot said, crossing his arms.

"We're behind you," Brittany added.

"And we believe in you," Jake finished.

Niko shook his head in disbelief. He was really doing this. He was one opponent away from being the most powerful trainer in the world.

 _Only one trainer…_

* * *

 **Author's Note: All y'all guessed Zygarde correctly! Dammit, I thought I did a good job of keeping it a mystery. Oh well. What did you think of this battle? Was it believable? I'd like to think so, since I spent a lot of the episode on the Zygarde battle. Originally, Talonflame was also going to fight it, but she was exhausted enough already that it didn't make sense (also didn't want Zygarde to be the only one of Bonnie's Pokemon to get wins, right?). I hope you enjoyed it, though!**

 **Also, a side note: this story will be ending soon (sadface), but I plan on going back and editing the story from the start, since there are errors that i'd like to fix (grammatical, plot, etc). This site doesn't update you when I edit a chapter, unfortunately, but I would like a way to easily keep you guys up to date on those things as they happen, and right now i'm trying to find the most effective way of doing that. Right now, i'm thinking of twitter, but i'm open to any suggestions that you all might have. Let's crowdsource this idea!**

 **(another note: updates to the story won't be consistent, which is why I want a way to communicate them to y'all)**


	20. The unbreakable bond of memory

**Episode 20: Memories are an unbreakable bond**

"President Goodshow will see you now," a receptionist told Niko, who was sitting in a waiting room with Charlotte and Jake. He stood up, bid farewell to them, and walked into a massive room behind the receptionist's desk. There, sitting behind a rather large oak desk was the President of the Pokemon League, Colton Goodshow.

"Niko! Pleasure to meet you," he said, reaching over to shake Niko's hand. "How're you feeling?"

"Uhh…fine, I guess," Niko said, sitting down once the president motioned him too. "What did you want to see me about?"

"I wanted to meet you in person and explain how the third part of the tournament would work," Colton Goodshow explained.

"Couldn't you have done that when the audience was there to listen?" Niko asked.

"They only know, as you do, when the next round begins," he said, leaning back in his chair. "I'm waiting on—oh, there he is!" Goodshow said, opening his arms wide as Ash Ketchum walked through the door, Pikachu on his shoulder. "Ash! Welcome! I'm sure you two know each other?"

"Yes indeed," Ash said, sitting down next to Niko, "how're you doing?"

"Alright," Niko responded. "You?"

"Couldn't be better. Your battle with Bonnie fired me up!" Ash exclaimed. "I haven't been this excited to battle in a long time."

"That's good to hear," Niko said, not entirely sure what to say in response.

"Now that I have the two of you, I'd like to explain how this part will work. It'll be brief, and Ash knows it very well by now, but I figured I'd at least have you two in the same room before the match," Goodshow said. "Your match will be the only one in the third part of the World Tournament. You will battle each other in three full battles, rules staying the same. Whichever trainer wins at least twice will be declared the World Champion."

"What if one of us wins the first two?" Niko asked.

Goodshow looked at Niko and smirked. "That's never happened before. There's a reason why we have such a rigorous structure for the rest of the tournament, and why we allow Champions to compete as well—to narrow the difference in skill between the incumbent and the challenger. Makes for good entertainment, as well as keeps the Champ on his or her toes. But, to answer your question: the tournament would essentially end at that point. The third battle would be optional."

Niko nodded. _Hopefully it doesn't come to that_ , he thought, _at least, hopefully Ash doesn't clobber me in the first two matches_.

"That's basically it," Ash said, "afterwards there's this party for the Champion, and then the Tournament is over."

"Precisely," Goodshow said, standing up. "Well, that was basically it! The first battle starts the day after tomorrow, late in the afternoon. Please get some rest, as I'm sure you'll need it."

Goodshow showed them to the receptionist's table before shaking their hands and walking back into his office. His receptionist smiled to them, and they left with Charlotte and Jake next to them.

"You ready, Niko?" Ash asked the younger trainer. "For our battle?"

"I think so," Niko said, "I need to take some time to think about all of this, but I'll be ready."

"Good, I'll be waiting for you on the battlefield," he said with a wink after they got to the lobby on the main floor. He held out his hand. "Until next time, catch ya later."

"Catch ya later," Niko repeated.

"Pika!" Pikachu cheered excitedly as Ash turned and exited the building before walking into Castelia City proper.

Niko turned to Charlotte and Jake, who seemed stunned. "What?"

"He's so…casual with you," Charlotte replied. "It's a little weird, honestly."

"Jealous?" Niko said with a wink.

"N-no…why would I be?" she asked seriously.

"She has a point, though. You'd think that Ash would be more, well, aloof around you. You know, because he's the World Champion and all," Jake added.

"Maybe it's just his nature, I guess," Niko said with a shrug.

* * *

The next morning, Niko got up ready to train with his Pokemon. Sending them out in teams as usual, he went through their normal training routine—practice moves, then a brief battle with one another. Only a couple had issues—Sceptile was still exhausted from his battle against Lance, and the Pokemon that had fought against Bonnie were tired as well, and so they sat out.

On occasion, his friends would jump in and have a practice battle against him. First Jake, then Jacob and Cody, and then Charlotte.

"I'm not going easy on you," Charlotte said with a wink. "Noivern, I choose you!"

"Naganadel, you're up!" Niko shouted, summoning the Poison Pin Pokemon. "Use dragon pulse!"

"Dodge and use boomburst!" Charlotte shouted. The Sound Wave Pokemon leapt into the air to dodge the wave of draconic energy before firing down her own wave of a light blue aura at Naganadel. The wave straightened the closer it got, eventually striking Naganadel. "C'mon, Niko! Ash owns a Noivern, too!"

"How'd you know this?" Niko asked, tilting his head.

"I looked him up," she shrugged. "While you were sleeping, I was up doing some research on his Pokemon."

Niko blinked. "…really?" He didn't think she was so dedicated.

"I want you to win, that's why I'm using Noivern. Now c'mon! Fight me!"

Niko's eyes widened at his girlfriend's determination and energy. "Alright, fine then. Naganadel, use toxic!"

"Noivern, dodge it with acrobatics!"

The Sound Wave Pokemon started to glow a light transparent color before shifting through the air swiftly, eventually striking at Naganadel—and missing the toxic attack. Just after colliding with its opponent, Naganadel lifted its stinger and stabbed Noivern, causing it to collapse onto the ground.

"Dragon pulse!" Niko roared. Naganadel got back into the air and fired a charged pulse of draconic energy, hitting Noivern directly in the chest and pushing her backwards on the ground. Niko looked up at Charlotte. "What was that? I couldn't hear you."

Charlotte shook her head. "Noivern, can you keep going?" the bat-like Pokemon nodded, slowly getting back onto her feet. "Now, use dragon pulse!"

"Naganadel, dragon pulse as well!" Niko shouted. Both Pokemon fired at the same time, causing the collision point to explode in all directions, a wave of dragon energy rippling through the air. Both Noivern and Naganadel were thrust backwards, landing on their backs. Once the dust settled, both of them were still conscious, but had difficulty getting up. "Wanna call it there?"

"Why? Scared you'd lose?" Charlotte asked teasingly.

"Well, no, but both of our Pokemon are exhausted," Niko said, smiling back. "Well done, buddy. Noivern is strong, and we were sort of holding back I think," he said in a low voice, out of range of Charlotte. "Return," he withdrew his pokéball and stood up.

"What do you need to do now?" Fay asked.

"Maizie is coming in today, I'm going to meet up with her."

"Can I come?" Charlotte asked.

"Of course, why not?" Niko asked.

"Niko," Jake said, "mind if we train some of your Pokemon while you're gone?"

"Uhh…sure?" Niko replied, "Of course you can," he reached into his bag and threw a few pokéballs at his brother. "Go crazy, but don't exhaust them, alright?" Jake nodded, sending out Toucannon, Clawitzer, and Magmortar.

Niko planned to meet Maizie at the Castelia City airport. After his victory over Lance, he received a call from her asking if she could come and watch. Surprised, Niko hadn't realized that she was interested, despite being one of the few people to convince him of entering the tournament in the first place.

 _"I said do it, Niko. JJ would have told you the same thing, and you know it."_

 _"Yes, but—"_

 _"He believed in you, every step of the way, right? That's what you said in your eulogy, right?" Maizie said, walking towards Niko. "Well, if you want to honor JJ in the way that he deserves, then you enter that tournament, and you win dammit. You become the strongest trainer in the world, because you damn well know that's what JJ would have wanted you to do."_

It was one of the moments that kept him going in this competition.

"Hey, Niko," Charlotte asked, looking up at her boyfriend. "Have you ever wanted children?"

Niko's eyes widened. "Huh?" This was unexpected. "I—I haven't thought much about it. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was just thinking about JJ and Maizie, and how they had a child. I was just curious if it had ever crossed your mind."

"Sometimes, but not often. What about you?" Niko asked. Truthfully, he thought about it sometimes, but it was never a priority of his. However, he thought, if he were to ever have children, he would like to with Charlotte.

"Sometimes. I don't know though. Giving birth doesn't sound like a lot of fun."

"I can't imagine, actually," Niko said with a smile. "You'd be a good mother, though."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

Charlotte turned red. "Well, you'd be a great father, too."

Niko laughed. "Maybe. Not so sure."

"Why is that?"

"I've never seen myself as one. Sure, I've thought about children, but never really felt like I was fatherly material."

"You do really well mentoring Kaila," Charlotte replied.

"Well, that's different."

"How so?"

"Because she's _not_ my daughter. She's my friend," Niko explained.

"She looks up to you like a father. Or even just an older brother."

"And there's a huge difference between father and brother, Charlotte," Niko replied.

"Yes, but still. You work well with younger children. You helped raise Jake, and Kaila. You're an excellent teacher and role model to them, and to others. That's what makes a great parent, Niko!"

Niko didn't know how to respond. "Fine, you make good points. I don't agree, but I believe that you mean what you say."

Charlotte frowned. "If only you saw yourself the way others saw you…"

"Then I'd be arrogant," Niko replied coldly. "I'd be like Hunter."

"So that's why you don't believe in yourself? As some sort of defense mechanism?"

"Exactly that. I try to practice modesty and humility because the opposite is more dangerous," Niko explained.

"Well, you overcorrected, I think," Charlotte said plainly.

"You think so?"

"I know so."

They finally made it to the airport. Niko walked him and Charlotte forward to the gate where Maizie was supposed to exit from. He looked up at the monitors, trying to find the location based on the arrival time and gate number.

"She's coming from Kanto?" Niko asked, looking at the abbreviation for Viridian City (VRD).

"Probably helping JJ's family," Charlotte said.

"Doesn't she have her business to run?" Niko wondered.

"I have someone looking after it," a familiar voice replied. Niko looked forward to see a short, black-haired woman with a child in her arms approaching them. "Hi Niko, Charlotte."

Niko walked up and lightly hugged Maizie. "How're you doing?"

"…better, I guess. Valerie's sleep schedule is the opposite of mine, which is wonderful," Maizie said, looking down at the infant girl. "How're you? Congrats, by the way. I saw that you're advancing to the World Championship."

"I am. Won yesterday. The first match is tomorrow."

"Well, I guess I came just in time. I really appreciate you taking time out of your training day to come pick me up, though."

"How'd you know I was—"

"Niko, I'd like to think I know you pretty well by now," she said with a wink, "because of JJ."

"Heh, of course," Niko said, rubbing the back of his head. "Let me get that for you," he said, grabbing her bag.

"May I hold Valerie?" Charlotte asked. Maizie nodded and handed the infant over. Valerie looked up and cooed at Charlotte.

"She likes you, I think," Maizie said.

"Can't see why she wouldn't," Niko replied as they set off towards the stadium.

* * *

They had settled Maizie into her hotel room when she sat Niko and Charlotte down. Valerie was laying on a pillow on the opposite end of the bed, half asleep.

"This might not be the best time to tell you this, but…" Maizie said with a concerned tone.

"What is it?" Niko asked cautiously. He was sitting across from Maizie in a chair.

"When Valerie was born, JJ and I decided who would be her godfather," she said calmly, her tone drastically changing. "And we decided on you."

"Me?" Niko said, surprised.

"Yeah. We had planned to tell you but, well…" she looked down. Niko noticed a tear in her eye. "With everything that happened, it sort of fell out of mind, I guess."

"I'm…honored," Niko said quietly. "So if something happens to you…"

"Then Valerie will be your child."

Niko nodded, turning to Charlotte, who smiled. "I'd do my very best to raise her as you and JJ would."

"I know you would, that's why we chose you," Maizie said.

"Well, is that it?"

Maizie nodded, and Niko and Charlotte stood up, ready to leave. "Oh! Niko," she said, reaching into her bag. "I have something for you, as you requested…"

* * *

The rest of the day was spent training. As the afternoon went on, Niko started planning his team for the first battle against Ash. He wanted to make an impression on the World Champion, but not exhaust his strongest Pokemon in the first round, where it mattered the least. Of the three battles, this first one would be the least consequential, as it merely set the stage for the second and, most importantly, the third if he and Ash tied.

He carefully watched his Pokemon train, deciding who would work the best. Of all of his Pokemon, he noticed Incineroar was putting in the least effort, relatively speaking. The Heel Pokemon, Niko remembered, had lost during the inverse battle against Frederick. Incineroar didn't quite understand the concept of it and, after the battle, Niko tried to explain to the large feline what had happened. Incineroar, characteristically so, refused to listen and instead punched and kicked everything in sight, nearly hitting his own trainer.

So that afternoon, Niko decided to give the talk another go.

"Hey, Incineroar," Niko said, addressing the Heel Pokemon. They were roughly the same height, so Niko could talk with more authority than usual. "Can I talk with you?"

Incineroar, who was in the middle of practicing darkest lariat, nodded, and walked with his trainer.

"You're upset, aren't you?" Niko asked. "About the last time you battled."

Incineroar paused and nodded. He looked more ashamed than vengeful or angry, like he used to.

"Well, sometimes you're just going to have bad battles. You're going to lose, and sometimes you'll lose badly. In that battle, I almost lost. But I didn't give up. I used to, and now I don't. Because I have faith in my Pokemon to do their very best. And if they don't come out on top, then it's fine, because they tried their best, and I know they did.

"Against Slowking, I _know_ , without a doubt in my mind, that you were doing everything you could to win. That was a tough battle—all of the types were reversed, and your signature moves weren't working. That's gotta be scary, right?" Incineroar nodded. "Well, it was scary for me, too. Especially after the battle before it when we lost. I was worried that I was going to let everyone down. Everyone that believed in me, and in you.

"I felt like I would let JJ down. He was my friend, remember? He died recently, and he's sort of the reason I entered this thing. He's kind of the reason why you got the chance to battle that Slowking, in an indirect way. He always believed in our ability to win.

"You're a stupidly strong Pokemon, and I want to use you against Ash. I want to use you in the _World Championship match_! But to do that, I need to make sure that you're okay. Not just physically," Niko pointed to Incineroar's arm, "but also emotionally," he pointed to the Heel Pokémon's hear, "and mentally," then to his head. "So…are you?"

Incineroar looked down at Niko, silent for a moment. Then suddenly fire engulfed his fangs, and he spit a powerful stream of fire directly above him, roaring all the while.

"That's the spirit. Come on, let's get back to it."

As Niko and Incineroar were walking back, Lauren turned to Charlotte. "He's gotten much better with Pokemon, you know."

Charlotte looked at Lauren and nodded. "Way better."

It was sunset when Niko and his Pokemon finished training. "Alright then," he said, clasping his hands together. "Tomorrow, around this time, we'll be facing off against Ash Ketchum in the first of three matches. So…only up to 18 of you will be competing, but if we win you're all World Champions…"

Niko looked at all of them: Venusaur, Pidgeot, Kadabra, Magneton, Hitmonchan, Shellder; Feraligatr, Noctowl, Yanmega, Delibird; Sceptile, Swellow, Aggron, Manectric, Numel, Glalie; Torterra, Luxray, Prinplup, Staraptor, Rampardos, Magmortar; Serperior, Braviary, Boldore, Reuniclus, Eelektross, Lampent, Druddigon; Chesnaught, Talonflame, Slurpuff, Aurorus, Clawitzer, Pangoro; Incineroar, Ribombee, Toucannon, Vaporeon, Drampa, and Naganadel.

As he slowly scanned the 41 species of Pokemon standing before him, memories swirled through his head. He started to remember the exact moments where he caught each one: meeting Drampa in the Lake of the Sunne; reviving Rampardos from a fossil; finding a baby Magnemite on the road; catching Shellder in a fishing competition; catching Boldore in the Castelia sewers with Charlotte; finding Snivy in a dumpster; saving Glalie in the Shoal Cave; helping Prinplup find his trainer, and failing; accidentally catching Ribombee when he meant to catch an Oricorio; receiving Feraligatr, Sceptile, Torterra, Chesnaught, and Incineroar from regional professors…

…and getting Venusaur on his first day as a trainer.

Niko choked. "I'm so proud of all of you. I really mean that. Every battle, every moment and memory we share, it led to this moment. Right now!

"Right now we have the opportunity to prove to the world, and to ourselves, that we are worthy of that title. Ash has—twice. And I'm sure he deserves it, but I think we can beat him. No…I _know_ we can beat him.

"All I'm asking of you—all I've ever asked of you—is to just do your best. I will never be mad at you if you try as hard as you can and still lose," he looked directly at Incineroar, "because I caught all of you for a reason, and I trained all of you for a reason. And that reason is because you have potential to be the strongest Pokemon of your species.

"So…let's go win this."

His Pokemon cheered loudly and charged at him, nearly trampling him. Niko then felt the back-breaking hug of his Aggron, and the soft caress of his Serperior; the high-five of his Incineroar, and the ear-piercing buzzing of his Magneton. _These memories of the past seven years, they follow me onto that battlefield tomorrow_ , Niko said as he looked out at his Pokemon, _they make me who I am today. These Pokemon do._

* * *

Niko always enjoyed sitting outside the night before a battle. It allowed him to breath normally, taking in the chilled nighttime air, calming him. It was during those nights that he talked with his rivals, like Melinda and Harmony, or Fay and Elliot. It was also where he and Charlotte began their relationship.

He had fond memories of those nighttime chats.

"Niko," a familiar voice said, sitting down next to him. It was Ash. "How're you feeling about tomorrow?"

Niko turned to the World Champion and blinked. "I'm fine. Trained a bit today, and I think we're ready."

"Good. I did the same. Been a while since some of them exercised their moves, but it's all like riding a bicycle…" Ash laughed. "That brings back memories."

"What does?"

"Bikes. You know, on my first day as a trainer, I stole my friend's bike and destroyed it," he looks at Pikachu. "We never did give Misty her bike back, now did we?"

"Pika…" Pikachu said nervously.

"Wait… _Misty_?" Niko asked. "Cerulean City Gym Leader Misty?"

"Yeah. We travelled together for a couple years. Her, Brock, and I."

"Brock? Wow…his son gave me my first gym badge."

"And Brock gave me mine. I didn't deserve it, though," Ash laughed. "I didn't deserve a lot of my badges back then. Some were literally just given to me."

"You must have a lot of stories, then," Niko asked.

"Oh, yeah of course. Thousands," Ash said with a wink. "I'm sure you're the same way."

Niko nodded. "Yeah."

"Those memories with our friends and companions…they never go away. I'll never forget the adventures I had with Brock and Misty, or May and Max, or Dawn, Iris, Cilan, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, and so many others."

"I've met some of them, too," Niko said. "You know, looking back, they did mention you."

"I'm sure they did," Ash said, "Some are on good terms, some on not as good terms. But none are on bad terms. Hell, I married one of them!"

"Serena? How'd you know?"

"That she was the one? Not sure…it just felt right. Like, she was always going to be there for me. I felt more comfortable around her than anyone else, save for Pikachu."

Niko nodded, looking off at the Lugia statue.

"I take it that's how you feel about Charlotte?"

Niko perked up. "Err, I think so."

Ash nodded. "Weird how love works. I've never truly understood it. You seem to have a far better grasp of it than I do. You also seemed to have a better grasp on training than I did—at least early on."

"What do you mean?"

"We've met before, Niko. Remember the Indigo League, six years ago? You had just lost, and some guy went over to talk to you."

Niko thought about it for a moment, trying to recollect a specific encounter…

 _"Hmm?" Niko said, looking up. The man was raven-haired with brown eyes. He was dressed in a black shirt with a dark blue jacket._

 _"Hey, you battled today, didn't you?" Niko nodded. "Well, you did pretty well. I was really impressed by that Ivysaur of yours."_

 _"Thanks, it's my starter Pokémon."_

 _"Professor Oak gave it to you, didn't he?" Niko nodded. "Hah! He's a great guy. He's helped me out in so many ways as well," The man looked down at the field. "I remember when I first competed here. It was a long time ago, and I had a lot of fun. But I didn't do as well as I had hoped."_

 _"Oh, really?"_

 _"Yeah. I made top 16. Lost to a friend of mine as well. But, I kept on travelling and improving. Eventually I came back and I won this tournament. But I couldn't have done it without my Pokémon. Well, that and that I never gave up. If you give up, you'll never realize your full potential. Think about it," The man winked at Niko. "You have potential—I can tell. You just have to see it yourself. Anyways, best of luck to your friend tomorrow."_

 _"Wait, sir!" Niko said as the man walked away. "Who are you…?"_

 _"A fellow Pallet Town native."_

"That was you…?" Niko asked, suddenly remembering the encounter.

"Yep. Who would've thought that we'd be sitting here today, the night before we battle each other for the title of World Champion?" Ash asked, laughing. "I certainly didn't. I just saw some trainer upset about a loss. Hopefully our chat helped."

"It did, a little. It was really my friends that got me back on my feet, no offense."

"None taken. Part of my job as World Champion is to help mentor other trainers. Well, it isn't an official duty, but it's an implicit one. If you defeat me, then you inherit that responsibility."

"Well, we don't know who'll win just yet."

"I'm saying hypothetically, Niko," Ash said, slightly sterner. "I don't think you'll defeat me in battle. But you should at least know what you're getting yourself into."

Niko nodded. He didn't fully realize it until that moment—the gravity of his next task and what it would mean for his future. "How'd you decided to enter this tournament the first time?"

"It was easy—it came around, and I thought I could win. I had travelled most of the world at the time, and my goal was always to be a Pokemon Master, and so I figured why the hell not? And well, I won it on my first try. Beat the guy before me in the third match."

"Who was that?"

"Err…no one important," Ash said plainly. "How'd you end up here?"

"My friend convinced me—JJ's fiancé, Maizie. Her and my other friends, they really believe that I can do it."

"And they might be right. Who knows," Ash said with a wink. "Anyway Niko, I'll let you get back to your thoughts. Just wanted to see how you were doing."

"I appreciate that, Ash," Niko said.

"Pika!"

"Bye, Pikachu. See you on the battlefield," Niko said as the Mouse Pokemon leapt back onto Ash's shoulders. The World Champion turned to Niko, waved, and walked off towards his own hotel.

* * *

"How'd it go?" Serena asked as Ash got back to their room.

"He seems fine. We have a lot more in common than I thought. And some differences, too."

"As we all do, silly," Serena said. "How do you feel?"

"Ready. I feel ready."

"It's been a while since you've had a challenging match. Niko won't be easy."

"No, but I also won't make it easy for him, either. My Pokemon are ready for him. I've watched his matches throughout this tournament and his last two league conferences. I know his battling style and how to combat it."

"That's the Ash that I know," Serena said softly, "the confident, go-gettem one."

"The kids doing alright?" Ash asked, more casually this time.

"Yeah! Veronica is in Saffron City right now, training to take on Sabrina. I told her about how you managed to win. And Sarah is at home. Your mom is watching her."

Ash nodded. "Good. I'll give Veronica a call in the morning; give her some advice, you know?"

"As you do," Serena said with a wink. "Night, Ash."

"Night."

* * *

Niko walked back to his room, noticing that Charlotte was still awake and reading. She looked up from her book—a history of Pokemon battling—and smiled.

"What're you up to?" Niko asked as he approached the bed.

"Reading. You?"

"I had a talk with Ash just now…" Niko said, eyes wide.

"Really? What about?"

"Just…life, I guess," Niko said, recalling every aspect of his conversation with the World Champion. Charlotte listened intently, smiling the entire time.

"That's so cool," she said softly, "you got to meet him, and you didn't even know who he was. Sounds like you, kinda."

"Hey!" Niko said teasingly. "Anyway, it was oddly enlightening. We ran a similar race until now, with some clear differences, but not many."

"I'm looking forward to your battle with him," Charlotte said.

"So am I, actually," Niko said, laying down next to her. "And…thanks."

"For?"

"Everything."

* * *

 **Author's Note: From the start, I intended Niko's end game to be against Ash. This World Tournament was always going to be the end of his journey, with him against Ash in the finals. I'm really glad it's finally coming into fruition now. Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Get hype: the next few episodes are gonna be fun.**


	21. The World is watching, Part 1

**Episode 21: The World is watching, Part 1—Ash Ketchum**

Professor Oak sat down in his living room and turned on the television. Suddenly, he heard small footsteps running towards the couch he was sitting on.

"Professor!" a young girl shouted excitedly. "Is Daddy on now?"

"Yes, dear Sarah," Oak said, patting the cushion next to him. "Your dad is about to battle now."

"He's going to win!" the girl known as Sarah, said. She was young, roughly seven or eight years in age, and had honey-blonde hair and blue eyes just like her mother. And, like her father, she loved the idea of training and battling with Pokemon. "I know it!"

"We all hope so, too," Oak said. Truthfully, he had no idea who would win. He liked Niko, and had known Ash for decades by this point. The very old professor sat with a smile on his face as he watched two of his young proteges battle it out for the title of World Champion.

"Grandma!" Sarah shouted as an older, red-haired woman sat in an armchair nearby. "Daddy's about to battle now!"

"Yes sweetie, I know," Delia said, sitting back to watch her son defend his title. "Oh, Ash…"

All around the world, television sets were switched to the event in Castelia City. The World Championship battle—the first of three battles—was about to begin. It was the culmination of the 25th Pokemon World Tournament.

Gym leaders, Elite 4, Trial Captains, Kahunas—everyone was now watching to see which of two trainers would take the title of the most powerful trainer. All of them knew one trainer; most knew the second.

"C'mon, Ash…" Misty said as she sat in the Cerulean City Gym's pool.

"You got this, Niko!" Niko's old boss from his dishwashing days shouted as he and the staff watched on a television in the restaurant.

" **Welcome, one and all, to the World Championship Match! I'm your host, Colton Goodshow, President of the Pokemon League. After over a week of intense battling from some of the strongest trainers around, we are now down to only two—the winner of the second round—Niko from Pallet Town!**

" **Niko has travelled across seven regions and competed in seven conferences, taking the title in two of them. In his most recent challenge—the Lanakila Conference—he was runner-up to the title of Champion of Alola. He has impressed us so far with unorthodox battling and flashy combinations, but are his capabilities up to par with his opponent?**

" **Ash Ketchum is the two-time Pokemon World Champion. He first won fourteen years ago, in the 23rd Pokemon World Tournament. Since then, he has been honing his skills by continuing to travel the world, creating the image of a role model and Pokemon mentor to up and coming trainers. Can he fend off a second challenge to his title in a row?**

" **This round will consist of three full battles. Whichever trainer wins two of these three will be crowned the World Champion until the next tournament, where they will be able to defend their title.**

" **Their first battle will be fought on a brick battlefield. Which of these powerful trainers will come out on top today? Tune in to find out!** "

Niko took a deep breath as he looked at the battlefield in front of him. Above, the sun was making its descent into the sky. By the end of the match, night will have fallen. He felt his foot rapidly tapping the platform he was standing on. _I'm nervous, I know!_ He scolded himself. _I don't need to be reminded!_ He looked up at the battlefield, watching Ash walk onto the field while President Goodshow announced his name. _There he is…_ Niko said.

Ash Ketchum was walking in with a black t-shirt, jeans, and a white and blue denim jacket. His Pikachu sat on his shoulder, as usual. He wore a white and red cap as well over his spiky black hair. As any celebrity would, he eagerly waved to the audience, which looked like it was about to overflow due to the thousands of people in the stands.

Behind him, he sensed his friends, who had gotten their seats due to both privilege of knowing Niko and getting to them early. He heard them cheering his name as well: Kaila, Fay, Cody, Jacob, Wally, Melinda, Lauren, Brittany, Maizie, Jake, Daisy, Oliver, Elliot, Warren, Sydney, and Charlotte. Everyone that had accompanied him at some point in his journey, or was a part of it in some way, big or small, was there to watch him.

He wasn't about to let them all down.

"Niko!" Ash bellowed across the battlefield. "I can't express how excited I am to battle you today. Your Pokemon better be ready!"

Niko smirked, feeling slightly more comfortable now that Ash had broken the ice. "They're readier then you think!"

"I sure hope so!"

The referee then explained the rules. "This will be a six on six Pokemon battle between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and Niko of Pallet Town. The first trainer to defeat six of his opponent's Pokemon will be declared the winner of the first match. After one trainer loses three of his Pokemon, the battlefield will switch.

"You may begin when ready!"

Ash and Niko both swiftly withdrew their first pokéballs. It was time.

"Goodra, I choose you!" Ash shouted.

"Naganadel, you're up!" Niko commanded, summoning the Poison Pin Pokemon. "Use dragon pulse!"

"Block it with dragon pulse!" Ash said, thrusting his hand out. Both dragon Pokemon summoned waves of draconic energy that collided in the middle of the field. "Now, ice beam!"

"Dodge and use toxic!" Niko shouted. Naganadel, being much larger than Goodra, attempted to maneuver its way out of the path of the ice, only to feel its stinger get chilled by the attack. "Never mind…dragon pulse!"

"Goodra, bide," Ash said calmly. Goodra allowed Naganadel to attack, the former emitting a light white aura around it. Naganadel struck with its attack, pausing afterwards on Niko's command. "Niko, Goodra will keep biding its time. This could go on forever."

Niko bit his finger. Only a minute in and he was having difficulties. "Naganadel, let's get that stinger thawed out. Slam it into the ground!" Naganadel obeyed, throwing down the tip of its stinger, causing some of the ice to shatter. "Now, use poison jab!"

"What's Niko doing…?" Jake asked, leaning forward. "He knows what bide does, right?"

Naganadel charged before somersaulting forward and stabbing Goodra in the stomach with its stinger. Niko then commanded it to use toxic. Naganadel briefly conjured a glowing purple circle underneath its opponent. The circle burst upward, covering both of them in poison.

"BIDE!" Ash roared.

"Dragon pulse!" Niko shouted. Both attacks collided at close range, causing a rather large explosion that rocketed Naganadel backwards. When the smoke cleared Niko noticed Goodra on one knee—it was clearly hurt by it, but nowhere near defeated. _Geez…_ he thought. "Naganadel, can you…?"

"Naganadel is unable to battle, Goodra is the winner! Niko will now send out his second Pokemon!" the referee declared.

"What the…Naganadel," Niko said, looking dejected. _That was too quick. Way too quick. I thought Naganadel was stronger than that…_ He had to make up for this. Goodra needed to go down. "Return. Sceptile, I choose you!" he shouted. "Use dragon claw!"

"Goodra, dragon pulse!" Ash commanded. The Dragon Pokemon opened its mouth and fired a powerful blast of shimmering purple and pink energy at Sceptile, who ripped through it with his elongated, glowing green claws.

"Yes! Now attack!" Niko said excitedly

"Goodra, ice beam!" Ash shouted. The slimy-looking swamp dragon sprayed a stream of ice at Sceptile, who leapt into the air and flipped forward. He then spun and slashed twice at Goodra before landing, bringing the Dragon Pokemon to its knees once again. "Bide!"

"Sceptile!" Niko shouted, feeling a rush of energy. "Mega evolve!"

"What!?" Warren shouted. "Niko, what're you doing!?"

"Sceptile better not faint," Fay said, "or else Niko's going to really have trouble beating Ash…for a few reasons."

Sceptile was engulfed in a sphere of mega energy, changing form once the sphere burst open. Niko then commanded the Forest Pokemon to use frenzy plant. Mega Sceptile leapt backwards, creating space between him and Goodra, and ripped up the brick-lain ground with spiked roots shooting out everywhere.

"And attack!" Niko shouted, feeling the energy from frenzy plant coursing through him. Mega Sceptile roared loudly, the roots thrusting themselves at Goodra, who simply took the first several strikes before unleashing bide—a bright, white, thick beam of energy that rapidly moved across the field. "Leaf storm!"

Sceptile spun around and whipped up a powerful vortex of leaves to block the attack before rolling away from it, barely dodging the move. Niko noticed Goodra looking exhausted by this point.

"Dragon claw, let's finish this!" Niko said loudly. Mega Sceptile's claws burst open, emitting a bright green aura as they elongated. Sceptile then rushed forward, bounding towards Goodra. Sceptile was just in front of the Dragon Pokemon, spinning to slash twice, when he felt a cold surge hit him in the side. He crashed into the ground, his entire right side frozen from Goodra's ice beam.

"Now, finish it off with dragon pulse!" Ash commanded.

"Sceptile…" Niko said, gripping his right side with his left hand. "FIGHT! FRENZY PLANT!"

Sceptile nodded, slamming his tail into the ground and forcing more roots out of the ground. They grabbed onto Goodra and pulled it upwards, causing their target to misfire its dragon pulse. Sceptile slowly got back up.

"You…can do this…jump and use dragon claw!" Niko shouted. "NOW!"

Sceptile nodded, using his free claw to shoot into the air and slash at Goodra, running his claw downwards as gravity took hold once more. Sceptile crashed onto one knee as Goodra fell onto its back in defeat.

"Goodra is unable to battle, Sceptile is the winner! Ash will now send out his second Pokemon!" the referee declared.

"Return, Goodra. Well done, Niko. That Sceptile of yours is really strong. Maybe ours can battle one day, when we're not deciding the Championship title. Infernape, I choose you!"

 _Infernape…alright, then. We can handle this_. "Sceptile, use dragon claw!"

"Infernape, use flamethrower!" Ash commanded. The Blaze Pokemon, who looked much older than Niko expected, fired a stream of flames from its mouth, striking Mega Sceptile in the side, successfully melting away the ice he had incurred during his last battle. "Now, mach punch!"

The two Pokemon met in the middle of the field, claw and fist meeting in a powerful collision that released a weak vibration outwards. Sceptile then grabbed Infernape's fist and threw the fire type to the side before spinning around and using leaf storm on Niko's command.

"Dig!" Ash shouted. Infernape swiftly dug a hole into the ground, dodging the leaf storm. "Now, flare blitz!"

"Huh?" Niko asked curiously. Then, he noticed the battlefield heating up. He _felt_ it in his feet, the bottoms of which felt hot to the touch. "Ow! Ow ow ow!" he said, jumping back and forth. This seemed to be a distraction, as Niko then felt something hot shoot at his chest, knocking him back as it did Sceptile. Looking up, Infernape had used a second flare blitz to strike at Mega Sceptile, knocking him—and Niko—to the ground. "Sceptile…dragon claw…"

Sceptile slowly got back up, glaring at Infernape, who simply winked back, motioning for its opponent to attack. Sceptile charged forward, spinning and slashing at the Blaze Pokemon before realizing he was striking at air. Looking around, Sceptile saw nothing. Then, Niko cried out.

"Above you!" he said as Infernape shot downwards with flare blitz, crashing into the ground with Mega Sceptile on top of it. Niko felt his upper back and shoulders start to burn, causing him to fall to his knees. _Mega evolving—bad idea early on_. "Sceptile, frenzy plant!"

The Forest Pokemon shot more roots from underground at Infernape, who was slapped away and entangled in the attack before firing flamethrower everywhere, burning the roots.

"Dragon claw!" Niko shouted. Mega Sceptile took advantage of the momentary distraction to lunge forward and strike at Infernape, slashing twice before landing on the ground successfully. Infernape fell forward, panting heavily. Niko noticed that he was a relatively light Pokemon.

"Infernape, you can do this!" Ash shouted. "We've been through tougher fights before! Use dig!"

"Sceptile, watch out!" Niko said cautiously. He couldn't take another combination of dig and flare blitz. "Frenzy plant again!" he shouted, hoping that the roots could hit Infernape before reaching the surface.

He was wrong, and only some roots made it up after the flare blitz burned the field once more. Niko grit his teeth as he felt the searing sensation underneath him. "Sceptile, jump and use dragon claw!"

"Infernape, flare blitz!" Ash shouted. The Blaze Pokemon shot out of the ground, its entire body covered in blue flames. Both attacks struck, knocking Infernape and Mega Sceptile out of the air and onto the ground. Sceptile crashed hard on his back, while Infernape landed on both feet before collapsing to one knee.

Then Sceptile reverted to his prior form.

"Sceptile is unable to battle, Infernape is the winner!" the referee declared. "Niko will now use his third Pokemon!"

Niko's vision was blurry, but not as bad as it usually was. _Am I just getting used to this?_ He thought. _Maybe, not something I need to brood about right now, though_. "Return, Sceptile. You did amazing, thank you. Clawitzer, I choose you!"

"Infernape, dig again!" Ash commanded.

"Clawitzer, wait…" Niko cautioned, looking around for any sign of the field heating up. "Now! Jump!" he shouted as steam erupted from underneath. The Howitzer Pokemon leapt into the air, firing a water pulse at the ground to—ideally—cool the ground underneath him a little when he landed. Infernape leapt onto the field at the same time. "Now, water pulse again!"

"Infernape, flamethrower!" Ash commanded. The Blaze Pokemon spat a stream of fire at Clawitzer, who used crabhammer to block it, allowing the flames to curve to both sides. "Now, mach punch!"

"Crabhammer again!" Niko shouted. Clawitzer sped forward to meet Infernape, clashing with the monkey in the middle of the field and subsequently being repelled from the force of the attack. Infernape, equally exhausted, collapsed to one knee.

That's when Niko noticed an orange and red aura surrounding Infernape, almost like fire. He'd seen this on a few occasions before. Fay's Charizard came to mind.

 _Blaze_ , Niko thought to himself. "Clawitzer! Water pulse now!"

"That's it, Infernape! Flare blitz!" Ash commanded. Infernape shot into the air, a burst of blue flames covering its body. The Blaze Pokemon rocketed down at Clawitzer, speeding past the water pulse and crashing into the Howitzer Pokemon powerfully. "Now, mach punch!" Ash roared. Infernape lifted its fist and slammed it down on Clawitzer's large claw, thrusting it into the brick ground. "Now, flamethrower!"

"Dragon pulse!" Niko commanded. Clawitzer fired a burst of draconic energy onto the field, which hardly seemed to stop Infernape's onslaught, as the attack couldn't directly hit it. Infernape pelted Clawitzer with flames before resorting to another mach punch, this time to the face.

Clawitzer was rocketed backwards, collapsing onto the ground with a loud _thud_.

Niko bit his finger. _Dammit! That Blaze ability is too strong_. "Clawitzer, water pulse! And again!" Niko shouted, almost desperately. Clawitzer fired pulse after pulse, each missing Infernape as the crazed-looking Blaze Pokemon charged forward for a final mach punch. Instead, Clawitzer thrust his claw forward, managing to jab Infernape in the chest. "Yes! Water pulse!"

Clawitzer's claw began to shimmer and, with a powerful burst of water emitting from it, Infernape was rocketed backwards, crashing into the ground on its back. It tried to stand up, but fell back down in defeat.

"Infernape is unable to battle, Clawitzer is the winner! Champion Ash will now use his third Pokemon!" the referee declared.

"Return, Infernape. You did great, buddy," Ash said with a smile. "Naganadel, I choose you!" he said, throwing the beast ball into the air and unleashing a very familiar-looking Pokemon to Niko. "Use dragon pulse!"

"Dragon pulse as well!" Niko shouted. Both Pokemon fired their waves of draconic energy, with Clawitzer's claw shimmering before he did so. The attacks met in the middle of the field, with Naganadel then swooping down to follow up.

"X-scissor!" Ash shouted. Naganadel's stinger started to glow a bright red color. It somersaulted forward and slammed the stinger on top of Clawitzer, who latched on with his own claw.

"Dragon pulse!" Niko commanded. Clawitzer, not letting go, fired the pulse wave upwards, causing Naganadel to briefly fly into the air before crashing down onto the already-damaged battlefield. "Dark pulse, let's go!"

"Poison jab!" Ash commanded. Naganadel moved forward, closing the gap quickly and stabbing Clawitzer in the claw just after taking the dark pulse as if it were nothing. "Now, toxic!"

Clawitzer screeched loudly when the poison shot through his claw. Niko, unsure of what to do, began panicking. He paused, not uttering a command of any kind. Then Naganadel retracted its stinger and fired a dragon pulse down on Clawitzer, hitting him directly.

"Clawitzer!" Niko shouted at the Howitzer Pokemon, who had stopped moving.

"Clawitzer is unable to battle, Naganadel is the winner! Niko will now use his fourth Pokemon, but before that the battlefield will change!"

" **Wow! What a battle so far ladies and gentlemen!** " President Goodshow declared, " **Ash has the upper hand, winning so far by one Pokemon! Can Niko catch up and take the lead?** "

"He looks distraught…and tired," Warren said, looking at the monitor closing in on Niko's face. He looked worried and, as Warren pointed out, distraught. He looked scared.

Charlotte shook her head. "He just hasn't faced that sort of power before…not in this way. Also I think he's just realizing how much weight this battle actually carries."

The brick battlefield disappeared under the ground, being replaced by a desert. A light sandstorm whipped up around them. _So weather is a thing now?_ Niko thought to himself. "Rampardos, I choose you!"

"Hmm, alright then," Ash said, crossing his arms. "Naganadel, use toxic!"

"Rampardos, flamethrower on the ground!" Niko shouted, noticing the glowing purple circle laying underneath his Pokemon. Rampardos did as commanded, belting out a powerful jet of fire at the sand, causing it to glisten and burn. As he expected, the toxic disappeared, not effecting Rampardos. "Well done—" Niko paused. Rampardos was then struck across the face by a poison jab from an unusually quick Naganadel. He collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

"Naganadel, dragon pulse!" Ash commanded. Rampardos, in retaliation, slammed his tail into the sand powerfully, causing a dust cloud to appear. Naganadel then fired the dragon pulse, striking the sand as well. Once the cloud disappeared, Rampardos was nowhere to be found. "Huh?"

"Zen headbutt!" Niko roared. Rampardos, his head sparkling with blue electricity, slammed into Naganadel's abdomen, knocking it out of the air. "Now, head smash!"

"Dragon pulse!" Ash commanded, thrusting a hand forward. Naganadel fired the attack, slowly rising back off of the ground. Rampardos largely ignored the attack, charging on regardless and smashing into Naganadel, once more knocking it out of the air. Ash then withdrew his beast ball. "Return, Naganadel," he said. "Get some rest, I might need you for later. Incineroar, I choose you!"

"Incineroar…?" Warren asked. "What the—?"

"Ash doesn't abide by type effectiveness, at least not all the time," Fay explained. "Oak's talked about Ash a lot when I worked with him.

"Incineroar, cross chop!" Ash commanded.

"Rampardos, ancient power!" Niko shouted back. The Heel Pokemon bounded forward, both of its hands glowing bright white. It collided with Rampardos, slashing both hands in an "X"-shape. Rampardos roared loudly as he crashed onto both knees. Incineroar then whipped up a vortex of fire before spinning around and grinding against the Head Butt Pokemon with darkest lariat. Rampardos then fell on his back, groaning.

"Incineroar!" Ash said, thrusting his hand forward. "Use cross chop again!"

"Rampardos, ancient power!" Niko countered. Rampardos slammed his tail into the ground, throwing rocks out of the sand and into the air. They all collided with Incineroar at the same time, overwhelming the Heel Pokemon and knocking it out of the air. This gave Rampardos some time to get back up, albeit slowly. "Now, head smash!"

"Darkest lariat!" Ash commanded. Incineroar spun around powerfully, its body turning into a fiery tornado as it shot across the desert battlefield. Rampardos lowered his head slowly before charging as well. Both Pokemon collided in the middle of the field, with Incineroar being thrown back from the force of the attack. Niko noticed Ash grit his teeth.

Then, the World Champion withdrew his Z-ring—a black one, at that. A dark red crystal sat inside of it.

"Incineroar, Malicious Moonsault!" Ash roared. Incineroar struck a series of poses with Ash. Then, its body became surrounded in yellow-orange fire and it jumped into the air, aiming to land on Rampardos.

"HEAD SMASH!" Niko cried loudly. Rampardos lowered his head before shooting it upwards, connecting with Incineroar's body. The collision caused a shock wave to ripple through the battlefield, kicking up sand across the entire field into one large dust cloud.

When the dust settled, both Pokemon lay on their stomachs, half covered in sand and unable to move.

"Rampardos and Incineroar are both unable to battle! Niko and Champion Ash will now use their next Pokemon!" the referee declared.

"That Incineroar certainly is something for defeating a rock type," Jake said.

"Rampardos had already been damaged by Naganadel," Brittany corrected him. "Otherwise, Rampardos could have won that."

"Return, Incineroar," Ash said, "Hawlucha, I choose you!" he said, summoning the wrestler-like hawk Pokemon, who posed powerfully when it landed on the battlefield.

"Great job, Rampardos," Niko said, withdrawing his Pokemon. "You did really well. Toucannon, I choose you!" he said, throwing out a pokéball containing the Cannon Pokemon. "Let's go, buddy. Use beak blast!"

"Hawlucha quick! Use hi jump kick!" Ash shouted. Hawlucha bounded forward, carefully watching Toucannon's beak heat up. The Wrestler Pokemon then shot forward, its knee glowing white. It connected just as Toucannon fired energy from his incredibly hot beak, blasting Hawlucha backwards, where it rolled in the sand before coming to a halt. "Flying press!"

"Toucannon, drill peck!" Niko commanded. Toucannon then shot into the air to meet Hawlucha, striking the fighting type as it spun downwards, a white aura surrounding it. Both Pokemon met once more, only with Toucannon also crashing into the ground and taking more damage than he thought he would. Hawlucha successfully landed on its feet and, on Ash's command, lunged forward to use hi jump kick.

"Toucannon, echoed voice!" Niko shouted. Anything to keep Hawlucha at bay would work for now. Toucannon opened his mouth, emitting an excruciatingly loud, screeching sound that halted Hawlucha in its tracks. "Now, beak blast!"

"Hawlucha, flying press!" Ash commanded. The wrestling Pokemon shot into the air, spinning and creating an aura around itself before swiftly descending onto Toucannon. Before they collided, the Cannon Pokemon raised his head and fired a blast of energy at Hawlucha, disrupting its attack. The hawk-like Pokemon crashed into the sand, struggling to get back up.

"Drill peck!" Niko commanded. Toucannon shot forward, his beak glowing bright white. Hawlucha slowly got back up and slid to the left, dodging the attack before getting back up and slamming its hand down on Toucannon's back, thrusting the bird into the ground.

"Flying press!" Ash shouted. Hawlucha then leapt into the air a third time, spun, and crash-landed on Toucannon.

Then a loud screeching sound permeated the battlefield, causing Hawlucha to roll off of Toucannon and cover its ears.

"Now Toucannon! Use drill peck!" Niko commanded. Toucannon shot towards his opponent, striking Hawlucha in the back and rocketing it towards Ash. Hawlucha collapsed in the sand, unable to move.

"Hawlucha is unable to battle, Toucannon is the winner!" the referee declared. "Ash will now use his next Pokemon!"

"Wow, Niko managed to sort of catch up," Lauren observed. "They each have two—one damaged and one not."

"Naganadel, you're up!" Ash said, throwing out his beast ball once more. "Use poison jab!"

"Echoed voice!" Niko commanded. Toucannon's screeching was getting much louder now. It hardly seemed to faze Naganadel, who charged forward all the same, thrusting its purple-glowing stinger into Toucannon's torso.

"Toxic!" Ash shouted. Then, a glowing purple circle appeared underneath both of them, bursting upwards and poisoning Toucannon. "Now, dragon pulse!"

"Toucannon, drill peck!" Niko shouted. Despite being poisoned, Toucannon thrust himself into the air and quickly descended, stabbing Naganadel with his beak and driving both of them into the ground. Toucannon rolled off of the Poison Pin Pokemon weakly, glowing purple as the poison started to take effect.

 _This isn't good_ , Niko said, thinking about Toucannon and Naganadel. _But Naganadel is also really damaged, too. Rampardos did a serious number on it…_ he looked down at his Z-ring. _Let's give it our best shot._ "Toucannon!" Niko shouted, lifting his Z-ring. "Let's win this! Use Supersonic Skystrike!"

Toucannon weakly performed the same moves as Niko did, synchronizing their poses before Z-energy transferred, enveloping the Cannon Pokemon. He then shot high into the air before just as quickly descending at a blinding speed, faster than Ash or Naganadel could react.

The collision whipped up a powerfully large cloud of dust and sand that didn't seem to dissipate quickly. However, Niko and Ash didn't see any movement from either of their Pokemon. Their concerns were realized when the dust settled and Toucannon and Naganadel were laying on top of one another, both defeated.

"Toucannon and Naganadel are unable to battle! Niko and Ash will now use their sixth and final Pokemon!"

" **It comes down to this!** " Colton Goodshow declared. " **Which trainer will win the first round of the World Championship match!?** "

"Boldore, I choose you!" Niko shouted, summoning the Ore Pokemon.

"Emboar, you're up!" Ash said, throwing out a pokéball containing the Mega Fire Pig Pokemon. "Use flame charge!"

"Boldore, smack down!" Niko commanded. Boldore summoned a golden orb in front of him, firing it in a straight line towards Emboar, who subsequently dodged it and tackled Boldore, picking it up and slamming it into the ground. "Gah…Boldore, rock slide!"

"Emboar, flame charge again!" Ash shouted. The large pig continued running around the field, tackling Boldore over…and over…and over again, knocking it left and right, up and down before causing Boldore to angrily throw rocks in every direction.

"Stone edge!" Niko commanded. Boldore slammed one of his legs into the sand, causing pointed stones to rip up and out of the ground, eventually hitting Emboar in its stomach and causing it to keel over, collapsing onto both knees. "Now, rock slide!"

"Emboar, arm thrust!" Ash commanded. Emboar stood back up, slamming the rocks quickly with its palms, shattering them into thousands of smaller bits. "Now, use hammer arm!"

Emboar charged forward, much faster than before and, as soon as it got to Boldore, slammed its arm on top of the Ore Pokemon powerfully.

"STONE EDGE!" Niko shouted. Boldore, slowly but surely, caused a stone to erupt just in front of him, striking Emboar and causing it to groan before collapsing forward. "Now, rock slide!"

Boldore jumped back as an avalanche of rocks crashed down on Emboar, burying it.

" **Could that be it!?** " Goodshow declared.

"Is it…?" Brittany said slowly.

"No, it's not," Fay muttered. "Emboar is moving now."

He was right: the Mega Fire Pig Pokemon rustled through the rocks, eventually toppling some over to reveal itself to Boldore. And it wasn't happy.

"Emboar, use hammer arm!" Ash shouted. Emboar ripped through the rocks, charged at Boldore, and slammed its fist directly into the Ore Pokémon's face, rocketing it backwards, past Niko, and into the wall behind him. Niko slowly turned to see Boldore crash forward onto the ground, broken.

"Boldore is unable to battle, Emboar is the winner! The victory in the first round goes to Champion Ash from Pallet Town!"

"Return, Boldore," Niko said with a sigh. He looked up at the scoreboard on the monitor. _So close…now I have to win the next two…_

* * *

"Niko!" Warren said as usual, running up to hug his friend. "You did great, buddy!"

"Could've done better," Niko said casually. "It's okay, I can still win."

"But with no room for error," Jacob said. "You have to win the next two decisively enough."

"I'm aware," Niko said plainly. He turned to Charlotte, who had a nervous smile etched on her face. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. But are you?"

"Perfect."

"That's not true."

"No, it's not. But I do feel just fine."

He heard, amongst the crowd surrounding him, the same reporter from before—Abby—running towards him and calling his name. Niko turned to see the reporter panting, but standing before him. "Niko! How do you feel about your loss to Ash?"

"Well, I only lost one match, but I'm—"

"Can you recover from this devastating loss?"

 _This can't be a real question. She has to be kidding…right?_ Niko thought to himself. "I'm going to recover and I'm going to defeat Ash in the next two rounds."

"How do you plan on doing so?"

Niko smirked. "By defeating his six Pokemon of course."

Abby leered at him. Not getting the answers that she wanted, she huffed and walked off, leaving Niko be.

The night was spent with his friends and family. Some—like Cody and Fay—wanted to diagnose his battle and how he could improve. Apparently, they noticed, Ash's battling style was somewhat random and reckless. He relied a lot on speed and raw power, whereas Niko often relied on defensive measures and keeping his Pokemon close by. In some ways, his and Ash's styles were very dissimilar, and in others—like their reliance on the strength of their relationship with Pokemon—they were the same.

Niko sat back, taking in the conversation. To his left were Kaila and Jake, and to his right were Charlotte and Lauren. Despite his loss, he did feel a little comfortable. He still had some of his stronger Pokemon waiting in the wings. The following day he could prove that he was able to hold his own against Ash.

At least, he hoped so.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Thoughts?**

 **Also casual reminder for suggestions on how to keep everyone in the loop about edits to this.**


	22. The World is watching, Part 2

**Episode 22: The World is watching, Part 2—Comeback Kid**

"I can still beat him," Niko muttered to himself as he sat in bed that evening. Charlotte was brushing her teeth and out of earshot. He spent the past hour convincing himself that his loss was not _that_ big of a deal; that it could've gone in either direction. "I…I know I can."

"What was that?" she said, her mouth full of toothpaste.

"Oh, nothing!" Niko shouted back. "Just talking to myself."

Charlotte finished and walked over to their bed. "You're going to be just fine, Niko. Remember: trust in your Pokemon. They trust you, and they believe in you. You need to do the same."

"But I—"

"You didn't today. Not with Clawitzer," Charlotte said, catching him midsentence. "We could see you freeze. You were first surprised by Naganadel losing so quickly, then Clawitzer struggling. It was very clear that you were scared."

"I've never seen that sort of energy before," Niko admitted. "It caught me off guard. It won't again. Plus, I'm pulling out some stronger Pokemon now. I did yesterday, but I haven't used all of my best ones yet."

Charlotte smiled. "Your Pokemon did great today, too. That last matchup was just bad, that's all!"

Niko nodded. "I could've beaten that Emboar, I think. Boldore almost did, too."

"Exactly!" she said, grabbing his arm. "You _can_ do this, Niko!" she kissed him. "I know you can."

"Thanks, Charlotte," Niko said, again with a smile.

* * *

" **Welcome to the second day of the World Championship match!** " Colton Goodshow declared loudly, his voice booming through the microphone and his face covering the massive monitor on the side of the stadium and on televisions across the world. " **I'm your host, Colton Goodshow, and today we continue with the Championship match between the incumbent, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, and his challenger, Niko from Pallet Town!**

" **To be crowned as World Champion, either trainer must win at least two of three matches. Ash Ketchum won the first match yesterday, 6-5. If he wins this one, he will retain his title. However, if Niko wins, the third match will break the tie. Can Niko make a comeback for the ages?** "

Niko looked up at Ash Ketchum, who wore largely the same clothes as before, with his Pikachu standing beside him. Niko also looked similar—he wore jeans and a light gray t-shirt. They both turned to the referee, who explained the rules of the match as she usually did—full battle, field would change at the midpoint.

The only difference was the battlefield—mountainous, rocky terrain. Similar to Niko's battle against Bonnie.

Speaking of the Kalos Champion, she was sitting in the box with President Goodshow, Serena, Clemont, and the other regional Champions plus Alder. Each watching the battle carefully, some with more regretful glares than others.

"Niko's gonna have it tough," Lance observed. "He can't lose this one."

"Lance, you know as well as anyone that it could go either way," Hau commented, sitting back. "It usually comes down to a tie anyway."

"Hau's right," Clemont replied. "The last two World Championships went down to the line in the third match—Ash was even with both of his opponents, although less so in the more recent one. Still…it'll be tough. Niko's different, I think."

"What makes you say that?" Lance wondered.

"Just a hunch, I guess," Clemont admitted.

* * *

"You may begin when ready!"

"Prinplup, I choose you!" Niko shouted, summoning the Penguin Pokemon.

"Torterra, you're up!" Ash said, sending out the Continent Pokemon. "Use leaf storm!"

"Prinplup, drill peck through the leaves!" Niko commanded. The Penguin expanded his beak and shot forward. He managed to rip through some of the leaves, taking damage on the others, before colliding with an energy ball aimed directly at his face. "Keep it up! Drill peck again!"

"Torterra, defensive leaf storm!" Ash shouted. A wall of leaves erupted around Torterra, catching Prinplup in it and throwing him high into the air. This seemed to work to his advantage, however, as the Penguin Pokemon let gravity do its job, allowing him to quickly descend to the shell of the Continent Pokemon. He crashed on the shell powerfully before flipping forward and landing behind his opponent. Torterra grunted.

"Prinplup, metal claw!" Niko commanded. Prinplup spun around and slashed at Torterra, who used leaf storm once more, albeit defensively, and threw Prinplup back into the air. "Drill peck again!"

"Rock climb!" Ash shouted. Torterra's front claws elongated and the Continent Pokemon turned to the falling Prinplup and shot upwards, slashing at the Penguin Pokemon, who blocked the attack with drill peck, causing both Pokemon to fall towards the ground, kicking dirt into the air.

"Return, Prinplup," Niko said, pulling out a pokéball. "Aurorus, I choose you!"

"Torterra, leaf storm!"

"Block it with avalanche!" Niko commanded. Aurorus summoned snow to fall in front of her, creating a buffer for the oncoming vortex of sharp leaves. "Now, ice beam!"

Through the snow a concentrated beam of ice fired, striking Torterra in the face, causing it to wince. The Continent Pokemon, on Ash's command, charged forward, its claws glowing bright white.

"Torterra, rock climb!" Ash commanded, thrusting a hand forward.

"Aurorus, use avalanche!" Niko shouted. Aurorus waited for her moment before pummeling Torterra with the rapidly falling snow. Only Torterra's tree could be seen in the heavy layer of snow. However, Niko didn't expect an energy ball to fire through, striking Aurorus in the chest. Then, the snow began to melt as Torterra was left glowing a light white color.

"Synthesis, Torterra," Ash said calmly.

"That won't last. Aurorus, ice beam!" Niko shouted. The Tundra Pokemon fired another string of ice at Torterra, freezing the tree on its back. "Now, ancient power!"

"Leaf storm!" Ash commanded. Once more the Continent Pokemon whipped up a vortex of leaves to blockade itself. It was less effective against the rocks, which subsequently pummeled it. "Energy ball!"

"Avalanche!" Niko shouted. Both attacks managed to succeed, with Aurorus reeling back from the force of the energy ball while Torterra was once more buried in snow, its tree frozen solid. "Now, finish it off with ice beam!"

"Torterra!" Ash cried out. "Synthesis!"

It was too late, though. The ice beam hit Torterra hard, even pushing it back a little before the Continent Pokemon gave in and collapsed on the ground.

"Torterra is unable to battle, Aurorus is the winner!" the referee declared. "Ash will now use his second Pokemon!"

"Return Torterra. Get some rest. Heracross, I choose you!" Ash shouted, summoning the Single Horn Pokemon. "Use focus punch!"

Heracross' arms started glowing blue. It opened its wings and shot forward at Aurorus, who fired ice beams in retaliation. Heracross weaved in and out of them before slamming into the Tundra Pokemon powerfully, arms first.

"Thunder wave!" Niko roared. Aurorus' sails started to shimmer, generating electricity and shocking Heracross, causing it to crumble to the ground. Aurorus grunted as well, finally taking in the pain from the focus punch. Niko saw her head wobble slightly. "Use avalanche!"

"Heracross, focus punch!" Ash commanded. Heracross struggled to move, the paralysis taking over. It was then buried underneath the thick layer of snow. "Heracross, focus punch!"

Aurorus took a moment to catch her breath when she felt another fist strike her in the chest. Heracross had risen out of the snow, fist-first, and knocked the air out of the Tundra Pokemon once again.

"Now, finish it off with hyper beam!" Ash commanded. Up close, Heracross opened its mouth and fired a powerful orange beam of energy at Aurorus, causing it to move backwards, wincing all the while. Not ready to give in, Aurorus attempted an ice beam. Heracross punched forward, ripping through the ice beam before using focus punch with the other fist. Aurorus wailed loudly before falling onto her side in defeat.

"Aurorus is unable to battle, Heracross is the winner!" the referee declared. "Niko will now use his next Pokemon!"

"You did great, Aurorus. I'm glad you managed to get a win in here. Prinplup, I choose you!" Ash shouted, summoning the Penguin Pokemon onto the now wet and muddy rocky battlefield. "Use drill peck!"

"Megahorn!" Ash commanded. Heracross charged forward, its long blue horn glowing bright white. The bug type collided with Prinplup's beak, the latter getting caught inside Heracross' horn. "Hyper beam!"

"Water pulse!" Niko shouted. Both Pokemon, locked together, fired their attacks. Prinplup managed to roll forward and over Heracross, evading the hyper beam but striking with water pulse on the Single Horn Pokémon's back. "Now, hydro pump!"

"Block it with focus punch!" Ash said. Heracross spun around, its arms glowing light blue. It thrust both arms forward to break the blast of water, causing it to spray to both sides of Heracross. "Now use megahorn!"

"Prinplup, wait…" Niko said calmly, waiting for Heracross to move in closer. "Now! Duck!" Prinplup obeyed, lowering his head and, on Niko's command, using drill peck to stab Heracross in the torso, launching the beetle-like Pokemon backwards. "Well done! Follow up with hydro pump!"

"Mega horn again!" Ash commanded. Heracross charged forward, ripping through the high-pressured blast of water to strike Prinplup, doing so successfully but meeting a metal claw to the side, knocking both of them to the ground. "Focus punch!"

"Block it with metal claw!" Niko shouted. Heracross and Prinplup got back up quickly, meeting fist in claw as they clashed with both attacks multiple times.

"Close combat!" Ash commanded. Heracross' arms and legs started glowing. It proceeded to punch and kick at Prinplup, who blocked most of them with metal claw before grabbing both of Heracross' fists and firing a close-range hydro pump at it, rocketing it backwards and into a pointed rock nearby.

"Prinplup, use drill peck!" Niko shouted with some finality in his tone. The Penguin Pokemon rocketed forward, his beak elongating and glowing white. _We've fought tougher enemies than this one, buddy. You can do it…_

"Heracross, focus punch!" Ash commanded. Prinplup struck first, striking at Heracross' shoulder and halting. Heracross then lowered its glowing fist, and went limp.

"Heracross is unable to battle, Prinplup is the winner! Champion Ash will now use his third Pokemon!" the referee declared.

"Heracross, return," Ash said, smirking. "Well done, Niko. This is getting fun. Snorlax, I choose you!"

"Prinplup, water pulse!" Niko commanded.

"Ice punch, Snorlax!" Ash shouted. The Sleeping Pokemon chilled its fist and thrust it forward, freezing the water pulse just as it came into contact with Snorlax.

 _What?_ Niko asked, shocked by this. The water pulse crashed to the ground, shattering. "Prinplup, hydro pump!"

"Ice punch again!" Ash said. Snorlax once more thrust a chilled fist forward, freezing the hydro pump as it came along, eventually creating a long stream of ice that extended across the battlefield, freezing Prinplup. "Now, use hyper beam!"

"Prinplup!" Niko shouted. The ice covering Prinplup was subsequently shattered when the orange energy beam hit him directly in the face, launching him backwards and onto the ground. "Prinplup…"

The Penguin Pokemon slowly got back up. _Guess close combat is the way to go with this one_ , Niko thought to himself. He commanded Prinplup to use drill peck. Once the gap between the Pokemon closed, Snorlax leapt high into the air, thrusting the entire weight of its body downwards and onto Prinplup with a body slam.

"NO!" Niko snapped. "Prinplup! Please get up!"

Snorlax removed itself from off of the ground, revealing a paralyzed Prinplup underneath. Not yet defeated, Ash commanded Snorlax to use mega punch. This swiftly and decisively finished the match.

"Prinplup is unable to battle, Snorlax is the winner!" the referee declared. "Niko will now use his third Pokemon!"

"Return, Prinplup," Niko said. "You did excellent. I'm still very proud of you. Aggron, I choose you!"

"That's probably a better choice for Snorlax," Jacob observed. "In height and weight."

"In type, too!" Kaila shouted excitedly. "Go Aggron!"

"I just hope he doesn't overexert himself with the mega evolution…" Charlotte muttered worriedly.

"Ready, Aggron!?" Niko exclaimed. The Iron Head Pokemon turned to Niko and nodded with a smirk. "Let's go! Use dig!"

"Snorlax, wait…" Ash said calmly. He and the Sleeping Pokemon waited patiently for Aggron, watching the ground shake slightly with every move. Then, the Iron Head Pokemon shot up from underneath. "Roll forward!" Ash shouted. Snorlax obeyed, dodging the attack. However, Aggron was still fast enough, spinning around and slamming his tail into Snorlax.

"Yes! Good job, Aggron!" Niko said. "Now use iron head!"

"Snorlax, mega punch!" Ash shouted. A glowing fist met glowing head as the two Pokemon collided powerfully.

"Now use autotomize!" Niko commanded. Aggron's entire body started to glow light gray as he "shed" parts of his body, making him lighter. The Iron Head Pokemon then spun around, tripping Snorlax with his tail and causing the Sleeping Pokemon to crash onto the ground.

Niko then felt a surge of energy flowing through him. He wanted to mega evolve. Looking up at Aggron, both nodded at the same time.

"Aggron, mega evolve!" he roared. Aggron then began to glow, the mega energy overtaking him. He grew into his mega form, albeit still lighter and faster. "Now, autotomize again!"

"Snorlax, hyper beam!" Ash commanded. The Sleeping Pokemon fired another orange burst of energy at Mega Aggron, who largely ignored it while he lightened his body. "Hmmm…body slam!"

 _What's he thinking…_? Niko thought to himself, noticing a perplexed look on Ash's face. Snorlax jumped into the air with a limberness that Niko wouldn't have expected from such a heavy Pokemon. "Aggron, iron head!" Niko shouted. Mega Aggron crouched low before thrusting upwards, striking Snorlax mid-slam with his pointed head, energized with steel-like energy. Snorlax roared out as it fell onto the ground, shaking the battlefield in the process.

"Use rest!" Ash commanded.

 _Oh no…_ Niko thought. _Now I have to do this all over again…_

"What a troll move," Jake said jokingly.

Snorlax fell on its back, fast asleep. Niko shook his head, and commanded Aggron to use autotomize again. _Might as well take my time with this…_ he thought. "Now, use iron tail!" he shouted. "And dig!" he continued. "And now iron tail again!" Niko said, watching Aggron continually beat on the sleeping Snorlax.

Eventually, though, it woke up. And it looked more pissed off than ever.

"Hyper beam!" Ash commanded. "By the way, Niko: Snorlax hates being woken up."

"I know that from experience," Niko replied with a wink. "Aggron, use iron tail!"

"So do I…" Brittany said, shaking her head. Nearby, Fay laughed quietly, understanding the reference.

Aggron spun around, taking the hyper beam to the back but nevertheless striking Snorlax powerfully, knocking the Sleeping Pokemon off of its feet and onto its back. "Now, use dig!" Niko said, feeling the energy flowing through him. He felt lighter; more powerful. Mega Aggron dug once more before striking Snorlax in the back, thrusting the enormously heavy Pokemon a foot into the air before following up with an iron head that connected with Snorlax's back.

"Snorlax, rest!"

"Not so fast!" Niko shouted. "Aggron, iron tail!"

Aggron roared out, stampeding down the battlefield towards Snorlax and striking the Sleeping Pokemon with his tail. Snorlax didn't wake up for the rest of the battle.

"Snorlax is unable to battle, Aggron is the winner! Ash will now use his fourth Pokemon, but first the battlefield will change. Both trainers—please briefly return your Pokemon," the referee declared.

"Great job, Aggron," Niko said with a smile. "We're not doing too bad."

"That won't last, Niko," Ash said with a wink. "Even if you win here, I'll be pulling out all of the stops in the third battle."

Niko smirked. "I look forward to that."

They then watched the battlefield shift from a rocky terrain to a forest battlefield. Trees hung around on both sides of the field, with a jagged path in the middle. Niko could see Ash clearly, but nothing to his left or right.

"You may begin!" the referee declared.

"Aggron, you're up!" Niko said, hoping to keep the progress rolling.

"Scrafty, I choose you!" Ash commanded, summoning the Hoodlum Pokemon. "Use hi jump kick!"

"Iron head!" Niko commanded. Mega Aggron's head started to glow gray as he charged forward quickly and powerfully. He collided with Scrafty's knee before falling forward onto one knee. Scrafty had beaten him there. "Now, dig!"

"Focus punch, quickly!" Ash commanded. Scrafty attempted to thrust a downwards punch on Aggron, but the latter managed to dig into the ground quickly enough that Scrafty missed. However, when Mega Aggron reemerged from the ground, Scrafty and Ash were ready. "Brick break!"

Scrafty's hand glowed white as it slammed down on Aggron's head, knocking the mega Pokemon into the ground powerfully.

"Follow up with focus punch!" Ash commanded. Mega Aggron slowly got up before getting punched directly in the torso, knocking him on his back.

Niko felt both of these, clutching his stomach and wincing. _Dammit Niko, why do you do this?_ He thought to himself. _Power through, we can do this_. "Aggron…use iron head!"

"Scrafty, grab it!" Ash commanded. The Hoodlum Pokemon held out its hands, grabbing the large Iron Head Pokemon and picking it up with incredible strength, eventually throwing Mega Aggron backwards and onto his back.

 _How does it have that strength?_ Niko thought, unsure of what to do. "Aggron, iron tail!"

"Scrafty, hi jump kick!" Ash commanded. Aggron was back up again, spinning around to strike Scrafty, who kneed him in the back, knocking the steel type back onto the ground, this time for good. Aggron reverted to his prior form, ending the battle.

"Aggron is unable to battle, Scrafty is the winner!" the referee declared. "Niko will now use his fourth Pokemon!"

"It's now 3-3," Brittany observed. "It's nerve-wrecking."

"Niko will be fine," Charlotte said confidently.

"Yeah! Niko will be fine!" Kaila exclaimed.

"I don't know…" Jacob said. "I mean it's possibly, but Ash might have some trick up his sleeve. Plus, they both still have Z-moves that they can use."

"Return…Aggron…," Niko said, exhausted. He was panting and sweating a little. "That Scrafty is tough, Ash."

"Yeah? You doing okay over there?" Ash asked.

Niko raised a thumb up. "I am! Well, I'll feel better in a bit, I think," Niko took out another pokéball. "Serperior, I choose you!"

"There it is…" Ash said with a smirk. "I've been looking forward to fighting this one. "Scrafty, use focus punch!"

"Serperior, coil!" Niko commanded. The Regal Pokemon curled up, biding her time. Niko noticed the light transparent aura surrounding her. They waited, allowing Scrafty to slam its light blue fist down on Serperior, who briefly winced, but otherwise seemed fine.

"Brick break!" Ash shouted. Scrafty landed a couple more attacks before Serperior acted. When the Hoodlum Pokemon went in for a high jump kick, Serperior's tail shot out and wrapped around the ankle. She threw Scrafty into the ground.

"Giga drain!" Niko commanded. Serperior's tail started to glow a bright green color. Scrafty started crying out. Then Serperior let go and slammed her tail on top of the dark type with leaf blade. "Leaf tornado, now!" Niko shouted as a follow-up. Scrafty was thrust backwards by the heavy vortex of leaves, causing it to stumble and fall on its back once more.

"Scrafty, use crunch!" Ash shouted.

"Leaf blade!" Niko commanded. Serperior slithered quickly towards her opponent before leaping into the air, spinning forward like a wheel, and slamming the glowing green tip of her tail on top of Scrafty's head, thrusting it into the ground. Serperior then landed and curled up a little, waiting for her opponent to get back up.

Scrafty slowly got back up, its orange molted skin bruised from the lashed incurred by leaf blade. It turned to face Serperior, clearly furious now. Serperior lifted her tail and tipped it in her direction, egging Scrafty on.

"Use hi jump kick!" Ash commanded.

"Grab it!" Niko shouted. Serperior leapt into action, wrapping her tail once more around Scrafty, grabbing the Hoodlum Pokemon, and throwing it into the ground powerfully. "Finish it off with giga drain!"

Serperior drained Scrafty of its remaining energy before unwrapping her tail and quietly slithering back towards Niko.

"Scrafty is unable to battle, Serperior is the winner! Ash will now use his fifth Pokemon!" the referee declared.

"Return, Scrafty. Well done, get some rest," Ash said, smirking. "Quilava, I choose you!"

"Hmm…" Niko thought to himself. "Serperior, return. Eelektross, I choose you!"

"Much better choice," Warren said, sitting back comfortably. "Niko can win this for sure."

"Eelektross, use coil!" Niko commanded. The EleFish Pokemon curled up in a ball while still floating in the air.

"Quilava, flame wheel!" Ash shouted. The Volcano Pokemon jumped into the air, creating a wheel of fire as it sped through the forest towards Eelektross, who sat there, a transparent aura surrounding him. Once Quilava was close by, Ash continued "Underneath it, use eruption!"

Quilava slid under Eelektross, then ignited a flame on its head. The flame grew larger before eventually bursting, firing a geyser of red-orange fire from its body at the opponent. Eelektross was thrown high into the air, unable to do much.

"Flamethrower!" Ash commanded. Quilava then spewed a jet of flames at Eelektross, who quickly descended in the air. The electric type managed to dodge most of the flames, not without getting burned from the flamethrower, however. "Now eruption again!"

"Wild charge!" Niko commanded. Eelektross' body burst into a yellow coat of electricity as he charged at Quilava, ripping through the eruption of red-orange fire aimed at him. Eelektross crashed on top of Quilava before rolling forward and onto the ground before spinning around to face his opponent again. "Thunderbolt!"

"Flamethrower!" Ash shouted. Fire and electricity met in the middle of the field. "Now flame wheel!"

"Wild charge!" Niko commanded, thrusting a hand out. Both Pokemon crashed once more into the other, creating a light shock wave just as they repelled backwards towards the opposite trainer. "Charge beam!"

"Flamethrower again!" Ash commanded. Quilava met the charge beam with its own attack before turning and spraying the trees around Eelektross, dousing them in fire. "Now, flame wheel!"

"Eelektross, dodge!" Niko said. The EleFish Pokemon leapt into the air, suddenly feeling the heat as he ascended slightly. His burn started to react, causing Eelektross to float back down, narrowly missing the flame wheel. Thunderbolt!"

Eelektross spun towards Quilava and shot a bolt of electricity at it, shocking it and knocking it to the ground. The Volcano Pokemon struggled to get back up, moving slowly.

"Now, finish it off with wild charge!" Niko shouted. Eelektross' body burst with a coat of yellow, sparkling electricity as he shot like a rocket at the paralyzed Quilava. His burn started to flare up immediately, causing his attack to weaken a little, reducing to a strong tackle attack.

"Eruption!" Ash shouted. Quilava's eyes opened once more, its tail bursting with flames like a geyser and launching Eelektross high into the smoke-filled air. Eelektross briefly struggled to breath, looking around as he descended. Then, he heard Niko shouted out a command and, closing his mouth, charged downwards, through a flamethrower and into Quilava, ignoring the pain his burn gave him.

"Wild charge!" Niko shouted. Both Pokemon collided, causing an explosion that knocked Eelektross forward, crashing into the ground. Quilava simply lay there, unable to move. The question then became one surrounding Eelektross. The EleFish Pokemon slowly got up. Niko smirked, admiring the grit of the once-tiny little Pokemon he caught in Unova.

"Quilava is unable to battle, Eelektross is the winner! Ash will now send out his sixth and final Pokemon!" the referee declared.

"Wow!" Lauren shouted. "Niko's winning, 5-3 right now! He has a chance!"

"Eelektross is badly damaged, though," Warren added. "Hopefully Ash's last one is something Niko can take down with relative ease."

Regardless of Ash's choice, Niko lifted up a pokéball and returned Eelektross. "You've done enough, buddy. I'm really proud of you. Serperior, I choose you!"

"Interesting choice, Niko," Ash said. "Gliscor, you're up!"

 _Oof…alright, then_ , Niko thought, _this'll be way tougher than I thought_. "Serperior, use coil!"

"Gliscor, giga impact!" Ash commanded. The Fang Scorpion Pokemon swiftly charged down the burnt battlefield, a swirling coat of white and orange energy surrounding it. Serperior stood completely still, waiting for the right moment to strike. Once Gliscor was close enough, she unwrapped herself, thrusting the tip of her tail outwards and trying to latch onto Gliscor.

However, the scorpion-like Pokemon _rolled_ over it, disrupting its own attack.

"Huh?"

"Fire fang!" Ash commanded. Gliscor rolled forward and lurched down, its mouth full of fire. It then bit down on Serperior's neck, causing the Regal Pokemon to screech loudly.

"Leaf blade!" Niko commanded. Serperior threw her tail at Gliscor, whipping its back and causing it to detach its mouth. "Now, use leaf tornado!"

"Gliscor, dodge and use x-scissor!" Ash shouted. Gliscor skillfully flew to the side, narrowly dodging the attack before going back in, its pincers crossed. "Now!"

"Serperior, leaf tornado!" Niko shouted. Serperior pointed her tail at Gliscor and fired another vortex of leaves, which Gliscor ignored, continuing its descent. The Fang Scorpion Pokemon crashed once more into Serperior, grabbing onto the serpent and biting down. "Not again! Use giga drain!"

Serperior attempted to do so, but her tail wasn't long enough—Gliscor was towards the end of it, making it difficult for Serperior to do anything with it.

Gliscor eventually let go, rising back into the air before feeling its tail get wrapped by Serperior. The Regal Pokemon angrily threw Gliscor into the ground before lifting herself up and descending towards her opponent.

"Leaf blade!" Niko shouted. Serperior spun forward to use her attack, only for Gliscor to roll to the side and use stone edge. A pointed stone struck Serperior directly below her neck region, thrusting her back into the air before Gliscor tackled her with x-scissor, throwing both of them into the ground. "Giga drain!"

"Gliscor, fire fang!" Ash commanded. Gliscor once more bit down, its mouth full of fire. Serperior screeched out loudly before falling onto her back, knocked out by the final fire fang.

"Serperior is unable to battle, Gliscor is the winner!" the referee declared. "Niko will now use his next Pokemon!"

"Return, Serperior," Niko said calmly. He took a deep breath. _It's all on you, buddy._ "Incineroar, you're up!"

"Oh, no…" Jacob said. "He has Eelektross and Incineroar left? Gliscor is a ground type!"

"Jacob, stop," Charlotte said in a scolding tone. "He can do this!"

"I hope so, but still…"

"He has no chance," Cody added.

"Go Niko!" Kaila shouted excitedly.

"Incineroar, it's essentially down to you. If we lose this, we're out. If we win, we can still take the title from Ash. Eelektross can't hurt this thing, since it's a ground type," Niko saw the Heel Pokemon turn and look at him. "I believe in you," he said simply.

Incineroar nodded.

"Darkest lariat!" Niko roared. Incineroar started to spin, flames emitting from his fists and eventually growing to create a vortex of fire. He then shot forward at Gliscor, who responded with stone edge. Incineroar broke through the stones—not without difficulty, however—and continued down the battlefield, smoking from the earlier fights.

"Giga impact!" Ash commanded. Gliscor shot forward, covering itself in a swirling orange and white coat of energy. Both Pokemon met towards Ash's end of the field, resulting in a light shock wave that blew some trees back. "Now, use stone edge again!"

"Incineroar, double kick!" Niko commanded. Incineroar's feet lit up as he shattered each pointed rock aimed at him. "Now, use fire fang!"

"Hmm, okay then. Gliscor, use giga impact!" Ash shouted. The Fang Scorpion shot forward, charging powerfully at Incineroar, whose mouth was now on fire.

"Switch to double kick!" Niko commanded. Incineroar leapt into the air, his foot connecting with Gliscor's body, but not doing much as the latter continued on its warpath, knocking the former out of the air and onto the dirt ground. _Dammit…_ Niko thought. "Darkest lariat!"

"Gliscor, stone edge!" Ash commanded once Incineroar got closer. However, it had built up enough momentum to strike Gliscor all the same, knocking it back and onto the ground. "X-scissor!"

"Double kick!" Niko shouted. When Gliscor got up, the Heel Pokemon spun around, slamming its foot against his opponent's chest twice, knocking it back to the floor.

Then Niko saw Ash lift up his Z-ring proudly. "Gliscor, use Continental Crush!"

 _Oh, shit…_ Niko thought. Gliscor shot into the air, gathering rocks from the field to create a massive boulder. The Fang Scorpion Pokemon threw the boulder over Incineroar, causing it to crash down on the Heel Pokemon mercilessly. "INCINEROAR!"

The boulder subsequently burst, leaving the large feline Pokemon laying face-first on the ground. Slowly, he got back up, coughing and panting heavily. Incineroar stumbled at first, but managed to successfully stand back up.

"That's the spirit, Incineroar," Niko said with a bright smile. "We never give up, even when the odds are stacked against us," he then looked down, thinking about what he just said. Determined, he balled his hands into fists. "Ash! You're going down!"

He felt his Z-ring reacting to him now. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a dark red Z-crystal. Incineroar, sensing the crystal, turned to his trainer and nodded, his expression just as determined.

"Gliscor, quickly!" Ash shouted. "Use stone edge!"

"NO!" Niko snapped back. "Incineroar, Malicious Moonsault!" he shouted. The Z-energy transferred to his Pokemon, giving him the energy to leap into the air, flames covering him, and crash down on Gliscor on the other end of the field, ignoring the pointed stones ripping up the pathway in the middle of the forest. A powerful explosion rocked the battlefield, causing Niko to stumble slightly. He then looked up as the smoke was clearing. Incineroar held Gliscor up by the head, eventually dropping it to the ground and looking over at Niko with a smirk.

"Gliscor is unable to battle, Incineroar is the winner! The victory in the second round goes to Niko from Pallet Town!" the referee declared.

Niko smiled, watching Incineroar slowly walk over to him. He held his hand out to shake, only to see Niko walk forward and hug him tightly.

"I'm proud of you, Incineroar."

* * *

"Now it gets serious," Fay said, sitting back at dinner with Niko and the rest of the group.

"The last battle is tomorrow," Niko said before taking a bite of a hamburger. "It's a little nerve-wrecking, to be honest."

"As it should be!" Jake exclaimed. "That battle was intense, too!"

"But you did really well, Niko," Brittany commented. "You seemed calmer, more collected this time."

"I think I just felt more confident. I trusted in my Pokemon more," Niko said, turning to Charlotte, who simply smiled back. "I think I can win tomorrow, too."

"That's the spirit!" Warren said, mouth half-full. "You're gonna kick ass!"

Niko nodded, looking down at his plate. What would happen after tomorrow, regardless of the outcome? After the Lanakila Conference, he had to ask himself the same question. Would he go to some new region, even as World Champion? Or would he stay at home in Pallet? The options seemed limitless, but also constraining. He knew he wanted to be with Charlotte—that much was clear. Niko also didn't want his goals and dreams to override hers, so his options might be limited depending on her next steps; her path; her goals and dreams.

Regardless of tomorrow's outcome, Niko felt he had achieved his dream.

What was next for him?

* * *

 **Author's Note: Three episodes left! What'd you think?**

 **So, I'm aiming to get the Epilogue posted tomorrow, July 23rd, at 5pm PST. There will be this coming episode, then the finale, the epilogue, and a short afterword between now and then. Then...it's done!**


	23. The World is watching, Part 3

**Episode 23: The World is watching, Part 3—Partners Forever**

Niko was up earlier than usual, just before sunrise. He walked out onto the front lawn of the stadium, where he had spent the past couple of weeks training his Pokemon for this tournament; talked with his friends; talked with Ash. He looked up at the Lugia statue, the shadows still covering most of its body despite the moon descending into the horizon.

That day his dream would be realized—ideally, at least. It was five years ago, just after the Silver Conference, that Niko knew what he wanted to do with his life. He wanted to be a Pokemon Master. He trained Pokemon, challenged gyms around the world, and competed in conferences to test his skill. He met some incredible people, and some not-so-incredible people, along the way. He caught Pokemon that would end up being some of his best friends.

Sitting down on the bench, memories of the past seven years flashed through his mind. Then, he heard someone sit next to him.

It was Fay.

"Oh, hey there," Niko said. "Need something?"

"No, just saw you when I looked out of my window. Thought you could use some company," he paused. "How're you doing?"

"I feel good, actually," Niko replied, looking up at the slowly brightening sky. "It's weird, though. Hard to believe, really."

"That you might be the strongest trainer in the world by the end of today?" Fay guessed. "Yeah, it's weird for me, too."

"How is that?"

"Because we started our journey together, Niko. Our lives are linked in that way. Our paths may have diverged—and diverged early on—but we were an integral part of each other's development."

Niko nodded. This was true. "You were my first rival. My first loss. And, really, my first real friend."

"And you're mine. Maybe not first friend—that would be JJ—but my first rival, too. And, honestly, losing to you in the Silver Conference was one of the best battles I've ever had. It was also the best part of my career as a trainer."

"Really?"

"Yes. Loss defines a person in a unique way. It was our battle that made me realized I wanted to give something else a try. Not because I was giving up, but my heart wasn't totally in it. Not like it was for you.

"Think about it, Niko—your loss against me kept you going, even though you wanted to quit—and were about to. Your loss to Elliot made you realize your dream. Your loss to Melinda hardly fazed you. Your loss to Hunter, and then to Palmer, dropped you to your lowest point. And then, you went to the finals in every tournament since. You've challenged the Elite 4 _twice_. You've defeated Champions, Niko! When we first met Lance, and he helped me train my Pokemon, that you'd be the one to eventually take him down, and not me? Did that ever cross your mind?"

Niko hadn't thought about it like that, but it rang true all the same. He always told stories of his losses to help humanize him to his Pokemon. It made him feel more real to them, and not just some ordinary trainer. He wanted to empathize with them. He wanted them to feel comfortable in their own failure. It defined them, just like it defined him.

"Yeah, you're absolutely correct," Niko said. "I look back on those moments a lot. I use them as teaching moments for my Pokemon, in fact, whenever they want to quit."

"I know, I've heard," Fay said with a smirk. "Niko…if anyone deserves to win today, it's you."

Niko looked up.

"I'm very proud of you, man. Always have been, and always will be."

Overcome by emotion, Niko lunged forward to hug Fay.

"Don't hug me."

"Oops, sorry," Niko said, letting go.

"It's fine," Fay said, sitting up straight again. "But I mean it. We're all proud of the man and the trainer that you've become. I know that JJ," he said, looking up at the sky, "is watching you right now, cheering you on."

A tear ran down Niko's face as he also looked up, noticing the sun finally rising over the mountains in Unova. "I'm doing this, in part, for him. He's one of the reasons why I entered in the first place. I…" Niko choked, "I wish he was here today, more than anything."

"I do too, Niko," Fay said solemnly. "I miss him a lot, even though he can be a real idiot sometimes."

"He got a lot better, you have to admit that much," Niko said, smiling through the tears.

"Oh, absolutely. I give Maizie a lot of credit for that."

Niko nodded. "Just so you know, there is something in the works for a tribute to JJ."

"Huh?"

Niko smiled. "You'll see."

* * *

Niko walked back to his room as Charlotte was waking up. He laid down next to her, his eyes slightly red.

"You okay?" she asked groggily.

"Just fine," Niko said simply.

"You…look like you were crying."

"I was, but they were happy tears. I'm happy, Charlotte."

She leaned over and hugged him. "That's all that I hope for, honestly."

Niko spent most of his remaining time with his friends, family, and Pokemon. The ones that already battled were still resting, and the ones that would be fighting that day were sitting beside him. He took about an hour of the day watching them interact with one another, soaking in the memories.

"I love you guys," Niko muttered. Only Venusaur heard it. The Seed Pokemon, who was laying down resting, opened an eye and looked at Niko briefly before closing it again and falling back asleep.

Later, he sat with Brittany, Lauren, and Jake. Charlotte was off with Daisy and Kaila, and Warren and Sydney were doing something or the other. Fay, Jacob, and Cody were hanging back in their hotel room in anticipation of the battle. Elliot, Oliver, Wally, and Melinda were off doing things individually.

The four of them made light conversation, for the most part. Despite his confidence, Niko was still very nervous. He didn't want to talk too much about the upcoming battle. Brittany got this, putting to rest any discussion of the battle starting from Lauren and Jake, both eager to talk about the World Championship.

She couldn't, however, stop the press.

"Niko!" Abby, the reporter, shouted as she and what looked like a mob of fellow journalists and reporters crowded around them. "How're you feeling now, Niko? Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I'm ready."

"Are you nervous?" another reporter asked, thrusting a microphone into his face.

"A lit—no, I'm not nervous."

"Did you catch that? Niko is nervous!"

"I'm not!" Niko snapped back. "I think the battle will be fun. My Pokemon and I are ready for whatever Ash has coming at us."

"Why do you almost faint during battles?" Abby asked. "Every time you use mega evolution you seem pained. Why is that?"

"You could say I really feel my Pokémon's pain," Niko said plainly.

"What will you do if you lose against Ash?"

"I don't know, continue on with my life?" Niko replied, unsure of where the question originated. He then noticed Lauren stand up swiftly. This couldn't be good.

"Will you all _get the hell out of his face_!?" she shouted. The reporters all turned their attention on her.

"Is this your girlfriend, Niko?"

"I thought you had another girlfriend?"

"Are you cheating on her?"

"Who is she?"

Niko also stood up. "Look, she's not my girlfriend, and I'm not cheating on anyone. But I would like it if you could all respect my space. Tomorrow, after the battle, I'll sit down for whatever interview you want. I…just want a little peace and quiet."

"That's all you had to say," Abby said, shooting a nasty glare at Lauren. The reporters then disappeared slowly. Niko and Lauren sat down, the former with an exhausted expression.

"Thanks for that, Lauren," Niko said sincerely. "I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome!" Lauren replied in a cute-sounding tone.

* * *

He walked down the road in Castelia City, his boots tapping the ground underneath him with each step he took. On both sides of him, crowds of people walked by, ignoring his ragged look.

Long, black, sleek hair matched with a five o-clock shadow. Black jeans and a leather jacket. A chain wallet. Heavy boots. He looked almost like a shadow, moving along the urban sidewalks, weaving in and out of tourists and locals alike.

Turning, he saw the television screens in a nearby shop turn on. Colton Goodshow's face appeared on it. He was talking about the Pokemon World Tournament. Then, two trainer profiles appeared side-by-side on a split-screen. He recognized one of those faces.

It was the face of the trainer who finally beat him.

"Niko…?" Hunter muttered in a low tone. He looked up, down the street and towards the massive stadium on the other end of town. "You're here…?"

Slowly, carefully, he moved onwards, his mind racing of his last encounter with the potential World Champion.

 _The trainer who beat me…_

* * *

Niko looked down the tunnel. On the other end of it was his final battle with Ash. The third of three rounds in the World Championship. All he had to do was defeat six Pokemon, and then he'd be the most powerful trainer in the world.

 _Only six…_ Niko thought to himself. It wasn't as comforting as it sounded.

He turned to see his friends and family looking at him, each with bright smiles. His rivals: Jacob and Cody, Elliot and Melinda, Oliver and Wally. Wally in particular ran up and hugged him tightly. "You're already the strongest trainer in my head, Niko!" he said. Niko could feel tears on his shirt.

"Thanks, Wally. I appreciate that."

Kaila looked up at Niko, also hugging him. "You can do it!" she said in her high-pitched tone. "Ruffy and I believe in you!"

"Likewise, Kaila," Niko said, looking down as he hugged her.

Sydney walked up and hugged him as well. Then Jake, who held out his hand to shake his brother's hand.

"Dad would be really proud of you," he said, a tear in his eye. Niko then brought him into a hug as well.

"He'd be proud of both of us."

Niko then looked at Lauren, and hugged her without either saying anything.

Brittany and Fay looked at one another, and then at Niko. "Remember what I said, Niko," Fay said with a wink. "I'm proud of you."

"So am I!" Brittany said, running up and nearly tackling Niko. "You're going to do great, I just know it!"

Maizie then walked up, Valerie in her arms. She reached up and tapped Niko's cheek with her lips. "JJ is watching you, I know it," she also looked at his belt, with six pokéballs slung around it. "Also, kick Ash's ass for him," she added with a wink.

"I will," Niko said, looking at Veronica one last time before turning to Daisy, his mother. She also had no words, only hugging him.

"NIKO!" Warren shouted, giving him a bear hug. "You will win it. I know you will!"

"Thanks, Warren."

That left Charlotte.

She briskly walked towards him, grabbed his collar, and thrust him downwards to kiss him. They sat there for a few seconds before letting go.

"I love you," she said.

"Love you back," Niko smirked. He looked up at all of them one last time before turning and walking down and through the tunnel. Next time he saw them, his fate would be decided.

* * *

" **Welcome, one and all, for the last time!** " Colton Goodshow shouted. " **This is the 25th Pokemon World Tournament, and I am your host, Colton Goodshow!**

" **The past few days have been filled with intense battles between two contenders for the title of World Champion—Ash from Pallet Town, the current Champion, and Niko from Pallet Town, the challenger to the title! In the first match, Ash won 6-5. Yesterday, in the second match, Niko took the victory, 6-4. Today, they will break the tie with a third match that will decide who comes out on top as the Pokemon World Champion!** "

Niko stepped forward, looking up at Ash. Pikachu was standing by his side, waving cheerfully to Niko. He returned the wave and sent out a Pokemon of his own to watch the match. The dark type Pokemon looked up at Niko with an air of determination that Niko hadn't quite seen before.

"This is it, Umbreon," Niko said, crouching down. "You know why I want you here with me, right?"

Umbreon nodded.

"Good. Just checking," he pet Umbreon's head. "JJ would be so proud of you right now."

Umbreon nodded again, looking away to hide his own tears.

"Niko!" Ash bellowed from across the battlefield—an ordinary dirt one this time. "Are you ready for this?"

Niko stood up, looking directly at his opponent. "Of course I am! More than you'd think."

Ash nodded, looking up at the President's Box. Niko did the same, nodding as well to whoever was up there.

"So it's down to this!" Kukui said excitedly, sitting back in his chair. "Let's see the rad moves from these dudes!"

Cynthia was silent, smiling all the same. Hau turned to her, wondering who she thought would win. She simply stared at him, as if her choice for the winner had been obvious.

On the other side of the president sat Serena, Bonnie, and Clemont. Each anxious in their own right.

* * *

"This will be a six on six, full Pokemon battle between Ash from Pallet Town, and Niko from Pallet Town. The first trainer to defeat all six of his opponent's Pokemon will not only be declared the winner of the match, but also crowned as the World Champion! In the middle of the battle, once one trainer defeat three of his opponent's Pokemon, the battlefield will change. Is that clear?"

"Yes."

"Yes," Niko said, taking a deep breath.

"Then you may begin!"

"Braviary!" Niko shouted.

"Krookodile, I choose you!" Ash said, throwing a pokéball containing the intimidation Pokemon. "Use dragon claw!"

"Hone claws!" Niko commanded. Braviary shot into the air to dodge the attack from his opponent, his claws glowing bright red. "Now, use aerial ace!" Niko commanded. Braviary shot downwards, wings stretched out. Krookodile responded with an aerial ace of his own, leaping into the air swiftly to meet his opponent. Both Pokemon collided powerfully, moving right past each other. Braviary crashed into the ground powerfully before rolling and leaping back onto his feet. Krookodile also crashed, rolling forward and getting back up as well.

"Krookodile, stone edge!" Ash commanded. Krookodile slammed his foot into the ground, causing stones to erupt up and outwards in a straight-line motion. Braviary shot into the air to use hone claws once more, successfully dodging the attack. "Now, use aerial ace again!"

"Crush claw!" Niko commanded. Braviary dropped out of the air, allowing gravity to overtake him as his talons emitted a light blue aura. Both Pokemon once more crashed into one another, with Braviary grabbing onto Krookodile's arm with his talon and, in an incredible feat of strength, threw the Intimidation Pokemon around.

"Krookodile, stone edge again! Full power!" Ash shouted. Krookodile luckily landed on his feet, slamming down powerfully and causing more stones to protrude from the ground in a successive fashion. Braviary weaved in and out of them.

"Brave bird!" Niko cried out. Braviary's body burst into blue flames as he shot through the rocks, now shattering them, and tackled Krookodile with the full force of his body. Both Pokemon were dragged across the dirt battlefield until the Intimidation Pokemon used dragon claw, grabbed Braviary, and thrust him into the ground on his back.

"Stone edge!" Ash roared, thrusting a hand out again. Krookodile thrust his foot into the ground, shooting a rock up from underneath Braviary and rocketing him high into the air. "Now, aerial ace!"

"Braviary…listen to me…" Niko said. "BRAVIARY!"

 _…_

 _"Welcome to the team, Rufflet." Niko said as he kneeled in front of his newest pokémon. "My name is Niko, and this is Snivy. We're going to help you get stronger, if that's when you want."_

 _…_

 _"Rufflet, calm down." Niko said, trying to take hold of the little bird. "This is how you get stronger. It's not just all about attacking. To do well in a battle, you need to be faster than your opponent, or have better defenses. You're more suited to speed, not defense." He said calmly. Rufflet turned to him, looked him in the eye, and then made an attempt to peck him in the face._

 _…_

 _Niko felt himself falling, falling towards the water below. He briefly heard screams from his friends and Brycen as he held onto Rufflet for dear life._

 _"Rufflet…I'm proud of you, buddy." He said, a tear in his eye. "And I'm proud to call myself your trainer."_

 _Then, both of them were engulfed in a bright white light, and Niko soon found his arm in the grip of a massive talon._

…

Braviary opened his eyes and, staring directly at Krookodile, turned to the side and grabbed him by the arm, disrupting the aerial ace. While doing so, he also turned to Niko and nodded.

"Braviary, use brave bird!" Niko commanded. Braviary shot down, carrying Krookodile with him. Both Pokemon crashed into the ground: Krookodile first, and then Braviary, who swooped back up and dive-bombed the Intimidation Pokemon with a powerful _crash_. "Now crush claw!"

Braviary, not giving up, thrust his talons down on Krookodile, only to meet the dragon claw coming for him. Talon and claw met powerful, neither Pokemon letting go of their grip. Then they both rolled forward, Braviary going first and, getting back up, shot at Krookodile with aerial ace.

"Aerial ace, too!" Ash shouted. For the last time, both Pokemon collided, causing a light shock wave to ripple around them.

"Braviary and Krookodile are both unable to battle! Niko and Ash will send out their second Pokemon!"

"Return," they jointly said.

Niko looked down at Umbreon, who was eagerly waiting to fight. "You want in?" Umbreon looked directly at Niko and nodded silently. Niko smiled. "Umbreon, I choose you!"

His friends looked down in shock. Only Maizie seemed alright. "Niko specifically requested Umbreon fight with him if he made it this far," she explained without taking her eyes off of her husband's first Pokemon. "He wanted JJ to be a part of this, too, and thought Umbreon was the best way to show that."

"Warren…are you okay…?" Charlotte asked her friend, who was tearing up.

"I'm…I'm not crying! You're crying!" he said, sniffling.

Niko crouched down in front of Umbreon. "Hey, listen," he said softly. "Do your best. You're JJ's strongest Pokemon, and for good reason. He would kill to be here right now. I know that. He's looking down on us right now, watching you fight in his honor. Umbreon—let's win this."

Umbreon nodded, turning away from Niko to face Ash.

"Umbreon, eh? Is that…?" Ash's eyes widened. "Wow. Doing your friend a solid there, Niko. I'll do my best to honor him, too. Sceptile, I choose you!" he shouted, summoning the Forest Pokemon. "Sceptile, let's give this Umbreon a battle to remember! Use leaf blade!"

"Umbreon, dig!" Niko commanded powerfully. The Moonlight Pokemon leapt into the air and dug straight into the ground, disappearing as Sceptile attempted to swipe at him. Niko waited calmly for JJ's Pokemon to re-arise. Sceptile stood completely still, waiting for its opponent. "NOW! Shadow ball!"

Umbreon shot up behind Sceptile and fired an inky purple and black ball at the gecko-like creature, who spun around and cleanly sliced the shadow ball in half before shooting forward with quick attack and slicing at Umbreon, knocking the dark type off of his feet and onto the ground.

"You're doing great! Use faint attack!" Niko said, thinking back to when JJ helped Umbreon learn this move from Karen…

 _…_

 _"…wow…" JJ said, mouth wide open. Karen turned to him and Umbreon._

 _"That's what you can do once you're skilled enough. It's a really good move for any dark type to know. Hell, it's a good move for any Pokémon to know, provided that they are actually able to learn it. Now, JJ, would you like to try?"_

 _JJ turned to Umbreon, who stood up and nodded. "Sure, let's do this."_

…

Umbreon slammed into Sceptile's torso, remembering his training against the Johto Elite. Sceptile grabbed Umbreon and, its yellow seeds glowing, fired a solarbeam at the Moonlight Pokemon, dousing it in energy from the disappearing sun. Umbreon crumbled to the ground, slowly trying to get back up.

"Umbreon, I believe in you!" Niko shouted. "We _can_ do this! FOR JJ!"

Umbreon nodded, slowly standing up and shimmering. He was using moonlight—a move JJ helped teach him. Niko smiled—JJ really would be proud to see his very first Pokemon battling the World Championships right now. _Can't get sentimental now, Niko…we have a battle to win. For JJ. For everyone who believes in me_.

"Sceptile, leaf storm!"

"Umbreon, dig!" Niko commanded. Umbreon, feeling refreshing, dug into the ground, ultimately striking upwards at Sceptile with his paw. "Now, faint attack!" Umbreon followed up by disappearing briefly before slamming into Sceptile's back, wrapping his front paws around the Forest Pokémon's neck. "And shadow ball!"

"Sceptile, solarbeam!" Ash commanded. The seed on its back began to glow, burning Umbreon who immediately leapt off and onto the ground. Sceptile then turned and began to fire.

"UMBREONN!"

 _…_

 _"Nice choice Fay. Charmander is going to be a very strong pokémon, I can already tell. Jeremy, you're next." Jeremy took a few minutes deciding, but ultimately settled on the Eevee. He knew Eevee had many different evolutions, and wanted to see what his might become._

 _…_

 _Eevee didn't get up immediately, and when it did, it ran off, away from JJ and everyone._

 _"Oh, Eevee…come back!" JJ yelled, getting up and following Eevee in the direction of a group of nearby trees. Niko looked over at Fay and went over to the trees as well. They then saw JJ trying to comfort Eevee, but the little foxlike Pokémon wasn't having any of it. It was clear to everyone that Eevee did not like battling, but JJ didn't really seem to understand why._

 _…_

Umbreon collapsed on his side, burned out from the close-range solarbeam. Seeing this, Niko bounded onto the field to pick him up. Sceptile took a few steps back to give the two some space.

"Hey…" Niko said, a nervous smile on his face. "You did amazing!" Umbreon looked up and shrugged. "No! No you did great. I mean that. JJ…" Niko looked away. "…he'd be so, _so_ proud of you right now. And…so am I."

Umbreon reached up to hug Niko as well, wrapping his paws around him. Then he fell back and fainted.

"Umbreon is unable to battle, Sceptile is the winner! Niko will now use his third Pokemon!" the referee declared.

"That was really great of Niko to do, win or lose," Brittany said, shaking her head, tears running down her face. "I hope JJ is watching this, wherever he is."

"I know he is," Maizie said quietly, looking at Valerie in her arms. "He wouldn't miss this for the world."

"Return, Umbreon," Niko said, looking at the pokéball briefly before placing it on his belt. "Magmortar, you're up!"

"Return, Sceptile," Ash said calmly. "Lycanroc, I choose you!" Ash shouted, summoning the Wolf Pokemon who was, like Kaila's Ruffy, also a dusk form.

"WOAH!" Kaila shouted excitedly. "He's got one, too!" her cheeks turned red. "That's…so awesome…"

"Maybe one day you can fight it, too," Charlotte said, patting Kaila's back.

"I will, Charlotte! Just watch!" Kaila said, pumping her fist into the air.

Niko smirked. "Luckily Magmortar isn't just all fire. Magmortar, use thunderbolt!"

"Lycanroc, use accelerock!" Ash commanded. The orange-furred Wolf shot forward, a trail of light following it as it aimed to attack Magmortar, who lifted his hand-cannon and released a surge of electricity from it. Lycanroc collided with the thunderbolt, hoping to rip through it. Instead, the Wolf Pokemon crashed into the ground, temporarily paralyzed.

"Now, Magmortar! Use fire punch!" Niko shouted. Magmortar charged forward, lowering his fiery fist on top of Lycanroc, who took the attack without resistance. "And flamethrower!"

Niko saw Ash smirk. The World Champion knew something that he didn't, clearly.

"Lycanroc, stone edge!" Ash shouted. Lycanroc thrust its tail into the ground, causing pointed stones to erupt all around Magmortar. "And fire!" the stones then angled themselves towards the Blast Pokemon and fired all at once, pelting him with half of a dozen sharp rocks. Magmortar collapsed onto one knee, panting heavily.

"Return," Niko said calmly. "Not risking it. You're better off facing something else right now. Magneton, I choose you!" he shouted, summoning the Magnet Pokemon. "Use magnet bomb!"

"Use counter!" Ash commanded. The small, magnetic spheres all fired at the Wolf Pokemon, knocking it back. Lycanroc was pushed back briefly, wincing slightly before looking up at Magneton. The brown stone on the top of its head started glowing orange with a light green outline. It then shot forward with unbelievable speed, striking Magneton in the center of its three magnets, and rocketing it backwards with incredible power. "Now, stone edge!"

"Magneton, sonicboom!" Niko shouted, thrusting a hand out. _No way we're done after just one attack—Magneton's stronger than that_. Magneton spun rapidly, conjuring a powerful sound wave from its body that ripped through the stones and hit Lycanroc, albeit doing little to harm the Wolf Pokemon. "Now, thunderbolt!"

"Lycanroc, rock slide!" Ash commanded. Lycanroc shot into the air, summoning over a dozen rocks around its body and thrusting them all at Magneton, who responded with a mixture of individual attacks like thunderbolt, sonicboom, and magnet bomb. "Now, accelerock!"

"Magneton, magnet bomb to slow it down!" Niko shouted. The Magnet Pokemon spun around powerfully, ultimately striking Lycanroc, one bomb at a time, and effectively slowing down the Wolf Pokemon. "Now, thunderbolt!"

Magneton buzzed loudly, summoning another jolt of electricity that hit Lycanroc in the face, causing it to crash into the ground momentarily. Almost immediately, Niko called out his next attack.

"Our finishing move…!" Niko shouted. "Magneton, use zap cannon!"

 _…_

 _"Hey, Magnemite," he began, "Where is your trainer?" he said in a soft voice. The magnet Pokémon lowered its head, as if in shame to respond. After a moment, Niko began to piece together that it might not have a trainer, or if it did, it was definitely abandoned. "Did your trainer leave you?" again, the Magnemite didn't necessarily respond, only continued to look at the ground. "Mind if we give you some food? You look hungry. You can stay with us until your trainer finds you, how about that?"_

 _Niko then reached over to a small bolt sitting on the ground a few feet away, and tried feeding that. It seemed to work, and Magnemite looked up at it again, surprised at the gesture, but nonetheless happy._

 _…_

 _Niko looked down at the electric type. "Are you okay, buddy?" Magnemite shook its body up and down as if it were nodding. "Great! You were quite the battler out there, good job."_

 _…_

"NOW!" Niko roared. Magneton fired its attack, causing a loud crackling sound to emit from the tiny magnet trio. Then it sounded like a bomb exploded in everyone's ears as a powerful stream of electricity covered the field, engulfing both Magneton and Lycanroc in it. Once the attack finished, Lycanroc collapsed forward in defeat, small sparks of electricity fluttering around it.

"Lycanroc is unable to battle, Magneton is the winner! Ash will now use his next Pokemon!" the referee declared.

"Return, Lycanroc. You did amazing, good job," Ash said, smiling as he looked up at Niko. "That's some move of yours. Pikachu, maybe you should learn zap cannon."

"Pika…" Pikachu said, looking away jokingly.

"Heh. You're great already. Charizard, I choose you!" Ash shouted, summoning the large lizard-like Pokemon with dragon wings and flames on its tail. "Use flamethrower!"

"Magneton, use thunderbolt!" Niko shouted, knowing very well that the Magnet Pokemon had difficulty using electric moves after zap cannon. Nevertheless, Magneton fired it anyways, enough that it managed to block the flamethrower. "Now, magnet bomb!"

"Charizard, dragon tail!" Ash commanded. The Flame Pokemon shot into the air and charged forward with unusual speed, spinning around when it got within range of Magneton and slammed its glowing-green tail into the electric type, sending it crashing into the ground, leaving a dent in the rock below. "Now, flamethrower!"

Charizard, still in the air, doused Magneton in flame. However, a bolt of electricity shot through fire and struck Charizard, knocking it out of the air and onto its feet, where it grabbed its head instinctively.

"Nice job, Magneton!" Niko said, praising the electric type. "Use thunderbolt again!"

"Charizard, flamethrower!" Ash shouted. Charizard, now clearly pissed off, fired the stream of flames to meet the thunderbolt. However, it didn't give in, creating a stalemate with Magneton's thunderbolt.

"What's he…?" Niko muttered. _Oh no. He's waiting out Magneton!_ Niko shouted in his head. "Magneton, get out of there!"

"Charizard, use flamethrower at full power!" Ash roared. Charizard's flames thickened in size, overtaking the thunderbolt and striking Magneton powerfully. The trio of magnets was thrust backwards, hitting a wall and crashing into the ground.

"Magneton is unable to battle, Charizard is the winner!" the referee declared. "Now that Ash has defeated three of Niko's Pokemon, the battlefield will now change. Trainers, briefly return your Pokemon."

Ash and Niko both returned their partners. _He's going to stick with Charizard, I just know it_ , Niko thought to himself. He then watched the battlefield turn from a dirt field to a grassy one. "Well then, fitting end to our match," Niko said. _Only four left…_

"You may begin again!" the referee declared.

"Charizard, you're up!" Ash shouted, summoning the Flame Pokemon.

"Feraligatr, I choose you!" Niko said powerfully.

"Ah, this is the legendary-slayer. Charizard, let's fight," Ash said, smirking.

"Feraligatr, use whirlpool!" Niko commanded, thrusting his hand forward. The Big Jaw Pokemon whipped up a swirling vortex of fast-moving water and thrust it at Charizard, who opened its wings and shot forward at him, wings glowing bright white.

"Wing attack!" Ash shouted. Charizard connected with Feraligatr, attempting to drag it across the grassy field.

"Feraligatr, hydro cannon!" Niko said. Feraligatr opened his mouth to fire the attack, but was immediately met by a flamethrower to the side of his face, disrupting his concentration and taking him off balance. Charizard then spun around and slammed its tail into Feraligatr's back, knocking him onto the ground face-first. Niko grit his teeth. This Charizard was gonna be tough to beat.

Feraligatr slowly got back up, with Charizard waiting nearby. Once he was on his feet, standing straight and grounded, he opened his mouth and fired a hydro cannon in Charizard's general direction. The fast-moving orb made of water exploded near the Flame Pokemon and sprayed everywhere. Niko heard Charizard roar out, clearly in pain now.

Ash then pulled out his pokéball. "Charizard, return for now. Sceptile, I choose you!"

"Ash's team is really balanced, actually," Jake observed. We know one of his remaining Pokemon will be Pikachu, but not his sixth just yet. I can imagine it'll be a water type of some sorts."

"If so, Niko can probably handle it," Brittany said, "since chances are he has Venusaur as his sixth as well."

"Feraligatr, hydro cannon!" Niko commanded. Feraligatr opened his mouth again, firing the orb of water at Sceptile, who swiftly moved forward with quick attack (since light was streaming from behind it) and _slashed_ the hydro cannon with leaf blade before lunging forward, spinning, and slashing twice at Feraligatr with the same move. The Big Jaw Pokemon collapsed on a knee. However, he got back up and turned to Sceptile, who shot forward again.

This time, Feraligatr was prepared. Without Niko's commanding, he waited for Sceptile to get close before slamming a chilled fist into Sceptile's stomach, halting its advances. The leaf blade disappeared on Sceptile's arm as it crumbled to the ground.

"Feraligatr, use whirlpool!" Niko commanded. Feraligatr quickly whipped up a swirling vortex of water and threw it down on the Forest Pokemon, who quickly got caught in it and was thrown backwards, landing near its trainer. "Now, hydro cannon!"

"Leaf storm!" Ash commanded. The seeds on Sceptile's back started to glow white as a barrage of leaves were released at Feraligatr. It fired the leaves, which surrounded and passed by the hydro cannon. Then, both attacks struck both Pokemon at the same time, causing them to collapse forward.

"Return, Feraligatr," Niko said. "I need you for later. Magmortar, I choose you!"

Ash looked at the Blast Pokemon carefully. "Alright. Sceptile, want to keep going?" The Forest Pokemon also eyed Magmortar carefully, and nodded. "Use leaf storm!"

"Magmortar, sunny day!" Niko shouted, thrusting a hand upwards. He knew Magmortar could take a leaf storm. He also knew that Sceptile needed to keep its distance, since touching Magmortar would mean getting a burn. The sun, now descending, brightened up a little, lightening the sunset-soaked battlefield. "Now, flamethrower!"

Magmortar winced as the sharp, light green-glowing leaves struck him. He leaned forward, looking like he was in pain. Then, immediately shot his head up and fired, from both arm-cannons, jets of fire at Sceptile, who swiftly moved around both of them with quick attack.

"Get closer, Sceptile!" Ash bellowed. The Forest Pokemon nodded, weaving in and out of the two streams of fire aimed directly at it before leaping into the air. "Now, solarbeam!"

Sceptile's back lit up with energy and, almost immediately, it fired a stream of solar power down on Magmortar, knocking the Blast Pokemon into the ground, burning the grass underneath him.

"Now, solarbeam again!" Ash shouted, pointing at Magmortar. Sceptile landed and pelted the fire type with more solar power. "Shouldn't have used sunny day, Niko," Ash smirked.

 _Dammit…_ Niko thought to himself. "Magmortar, get up!" He shouted.

 _…_

 _"Mag!" Magmar said as he erupted out of the pokéball._

 _"Hey buddy. Want to train for a bit?" Niko asked. Magmar eyed him suspiciously. "Right. You don't like to train. Well, think of it like this. To be good at battling, you have to practice, right? You have to learn how to use new moves to beat your opponent faster, right?" Magmar nodded, obviously more interested. "That's all training is. Just practicing those moves so you can become better. And that's partly my job, you see? To help you be the strongest Magmar out there."_

 _The spitfire Pokémon nodded again, seeming more satisfied. He then turned his head upwards and spit out a stream of fire._

 _"Exactly! Your flamethrower wouldn't be as powerful if you didn't keep trying to use it. That's basically all we do when we train. But if you don't want to, that's completely fine. I've had Pokémon before that preferred not to train."_

 _Now Magmar looked completely confused, as if trying to comprehend why a Pokémon didn't want to get stronger. He suddenly got excited, and began running around, punching the air as he usually did, but this time it looked like it had more purpose._

 _…_

The Blast Pokemon slowly got up, trying to ignore the onslaught of solarbeams aimed at him. He then stood straight, grounding himself in the grass underneath. "Flamethrower!"

"Solarbeam!"

Both attacks fired at the same time, colliding in the middle of the field. Sceptile moved while using the solarbeam, with Magmortar likewise moving his arm. Neither dared to let go.

Then, without Niko's command, Magmortar fired a second stream from his other arm-cannon, striking Sceptile in the side and disrupting its own attack. The solarbeam disappeared, just as both flamethrowers did. There, Niko saw his opportunity.

"Magmortar, fire punch!" Niko shouted. Magmortar charged forward, moving faster than either he or Niko thought capable for him. He jumped into the air and slammed one of his arm-cannons across Sceptile's face, knocking the Forest Pokemon to the ground and leaving a tremendous burn along its face.

"Sceptile is unable to battle, Magmortar is the winner! Champion Ash will now use his next Pokemon!"

"Return, Sceptile. You did great. Get some rest. Greninja, I choose you!"

"Greninja, eh?" Jake said. "So that's his last Pokemon. Nice choice."

"Ash relies on speed to fight, it's obvious with the sort of Pokemon he's used already," Fay observed. "Greninja might be one of the fastest ones he has."

In the President's Box Clemont, Serena, and Bonnie watched with wide grins. "There he goes. Hopefully using Greninja doesn't kill him. Almost did last time."

"Clemont, please don't talk like that," Serena said. "Although, he _has_ gotten better with it."

"Greninja, use water shuriken!" Ash commanded, thrusting a hand forward. Magmortar retaliated with a thunderbolt, striking at the throwing stars made of compacted water and forced them to burst open, spraying water and billowing smoke everywhere. "Hm. Double team, then!"

Dozens of Greninjas leapt into the air, all surrounding Magmortar. Niko and his Pokemon looked around, in awe of the amount of duplicates in the air. Then, some of them descended, either using cut or aerial ace, both attacks looking similar. Magmortar attempted to use fire punch or flamethrower, knowing as well as Niko that they were likely the copies, since the real Greninja would've gotten burned. Then, Niko had had enough.

"Magmortar, use thunderbolt!" Niko roared. Magmortar also roared out, generating electricity and firing it in all directions, striking each remaining copy and then also managing to hit the real Greninja. Magmortar then collapsed to the ground, exhausted.

"Magmortar, keep it up," Niko said calmly. "We can win this, alright? Use thunderbolt!"

"Greninja, double team!" Ash shouted. Unlike the previous attack, this thunderbolt was more concentrated, and therefore managed to miss. Suddenly, the real Greninja was to Magmortar's side and fired a series of water shurikens at the Blast Pokemon, pelting him in the side and causing him to collapse onto the burnt grass underneath him.

"Magmortar is unable to battle, Greninja is the winner!" the referee declared. "Niko will now use his next Pokemon!"

"Niko has two left, Ash three…" Brittany said, slightly concerned. "Ash has Charizard, Pikachu, and Greninja. Niko only has Feraligatr and Venusaur…"

"And Feraligatr has seen battle already. Ash definitely has the advantage here," Warren added. "But, Niko—"

"—Can do it!" Charlotte shouted. "GO NIKO! KICK HIS ASS!"

Everyone around her blinked with surprise. They had never seen Charlotte get that worked up before. She turned to them and sat back in her seat.

"What? I want him to win really badly."

"Return, Magmortar. You did amazing, thanks for your work," Niko looked down at his next pokéball. He wasn't using Feraligatr for this. "Venusaur, I choose you!"

"There it is!" Ash said cheerfully. "Ever since Venusaur fought Oliver's Greninja, I've waited for this opportunity, Niko. Give me all you've got! Greninja, use aerial ace!" he shouted, not limited to non-physical moves now. Greninja's arms and hands started to glow white as it rushed forward at Venusaur, who stood ready to go.

"Solarbeam," Niko said calmly. Venusaur nodded, firing a blast of solar energy at Greninja, who leapt up and over it before descending to strike its opponent. "Now petal blizzard!"

Venusaur roared, summoning a veil of sharp pink petals all around him, just as Greninja was about to land. The Ninja Pokemon was thrown into the air, eventually crashing onto the ground with a loud _thud_.

"Now, frenzy plant!" Niko commanded. Spiked roots struck Greninja, throwing it high into the air and slapping it back down, repeating this a couple of times before rocketing Greninja backwards towards Ash. "Well done, buddy. Let's keep it going! Use solarbeam!"

"Greninja, dodge it!" Ash shouted. Greninja nodded, getting back up with unexpected agility and using double team to evade the attack.

Then Ash was dead silent, as was Greninja. After a moment, Niko looked in concern. _What're they doing…?_

"Let's show our true selves, Greninja…" Ash finally said. "LET'S SHOW OUR FULL POWER! GRENINJA!"

A thin vortex of water surrounded Greninja, transforming it. Greninja's skin turned a lighter shade of blue, while its face gained red stripes and its cheeks and ears turned black, now resembling Ash's spiky black hair. Its legs looked much stronger, and a large, water shuriken sat on its back, formed from the water in the vortex.

"What the…?" Warren said. "How…? Is that…?"

"Bond phenomenon," Fay muttered. "Remember?"

 _…_

 _"Bond Phenomenon is a transformation that affects specific types of Pokémon. It is different from mega evolution or primal reversion—another type of temporary evolution that only three Pokémon are known to go through. There is only one documented case of Bond Phenomenon, and it started here, in this lab, with a Froakie that I used to own._

 _"It went to this incredibly capable, caring trainer named Ash. That Froakie, throughout his journey, evolved into a Greninja. However, after that the bond between Ash and Greninja continued to grow, eventually allowing Greninja to evolve further, in a process very similar to mega evolution. But that is not why I bring this up._

 _"Ash and Greninja's bond was close enough that they saw everything as one—their senses were one, and their nerves were one. When Greninja—then called Ash-Greninja—got injured in battle, Ash felt it. When he began practicing it—trying to understand this power—he nearly fainted on more than a few occasions."_

 _…_

Niko also remembered the same conversation, albeit in bits and pieces, but enough to get the full picture. "Ash-Greninja, right?" he said aloud.

"Yup!" Ash shouted back. "Ready to go?"

"Let's match that, Venusaur," Niko said, closing his eyes and feeling the mega energy surge through him. "Venusaur, mega evolve!"

"VENUS!" Venusaur roared, transforming one more time into his mega form. The Seed Pokemon took a powerful step forward, glaring at Ash-Greninja.

Greninja then shot forward, unprovoked, to use aerial ace. Niko saw this from Venusaur's perspective. "Now, jump!" he said as Ash-Greninja got closer. Venusaur leapt into the air with surprising ease. "And petal blizzard!"

Pink petals rained down on Ash-Greninja, knocking it backwards. Niko noticed Ash grip his stomach, just where Greninja itself had gotten hit. Venusaur landed with a powerful crash, ready to continue.

"Solarbeam!" Niko commanded.

Ash-Greninja continued moving forward, now sporadically creating copies with double team. Venusaur fired multiple solarbeams, each one missing. Then, Niko noticed Ash-Greninja appeared behind the Seed Pokemon.

"Watch out!" Niko shouted. Suddenly, he felt something strike him in the back, causing him to fall to his knees. _Dammit_. "Venusaur…petal blizzard!"

Ash-Greninja got in close enough to avoid the wall of petals, landing on top of Mega Venusaur's flower and slashing and kicking at it with aerial ace. Niko felt like he was being punched in the head multiple times, covering it instinctively to avoid the pain. It also made it difficult to think clearly.

So instead, Venusaur did the thinking for him. A thick cloud of yellow spores erupted from the top of the flower. Ash-Greninja accidentally exposed themselves to it and fell forward in front of Mega Venusaur. Suddenly, the headaches went away, and Niko could think clearly again.

"Thanks, buddy," Niko said sincerely. Venusaur simply nodded, without looking at his trainer. "Now, petal blizzard and solarbeam!"

Mega Venusaur nodded, rocketing Ash-Greninja into the air with petal blizzard and, once it was eye-level with the Seed Pokemon, fired a solarbeam at it, rocketing the Ninja Pokemon across the field. It crashed and rolled across the ground, just as Ash himself fell to his knees in pain.

"FINISH IT OFF WITH FRENZY PLANT!" Niko commanded powerfully, thrusting his hand forward. He felt an enormous rush of energy as Mega Venusaur ripped up spiked roots from the ground and slashed and slapped Ash-Greninja, knocking it through the air before finally slamming it into the ground. Niko heard Ash roar out in pain before finally taking deep, heavy breaths. Greninja reverted back to its prior form in defeat.

"Greninja is unable to battle, Venusaur is the winner! Ash will now use his next Pokemon!" the referee declared.

"Return, Greninja," Ash said. "Well…well done, Niko. That was impressive."

"Pikaaa!" Pikachu said, somewhat frustrated.

"You'll get your chance, Pikachu," Ash said. "We need to take out this Venusaur first, though. Charizard, I choose you!"

"If that's the case, the return, Venusaur," Niko said. "I'm not leaving Feraligatr to handle Charizard _and_ Pikachu by himself," he said, feeling a little lighter now that Venusaur was safely in his pokéball. _I also don't want to feel like my body is on fire_ , he thought to himself. He also noticed how Ash handled Ash-Greninja. They have the same power—or curse, or both—but he didn't faint when Greninja did. To be fair, Niko has also gotten better at it, but the battles weren't nearly as intense, and there were times were he felt like he would faint mid-battle. Ash clearly had mastered Bond Phenomenon, even though it still hurt like hell to battle sometimes.

Maybe it was something Niko could work on in the future.

"Feraligatr, I choose you!" Niko shouted.

"A rematch? Alright then."

"Can't be a rematch if there was no winner or loser," Niko declared. "Feraligatr, hydro cannon!"

"Flamethrower!" Ash shouted. Both attacks collided in the middle of the field, with the hydro cannon quickly overtaking the flamethrower, ripping through it as steam erupted on the edges. It struck Charizard with an unexpected quickness.

"Whirlpool!" Niko commanded. Feraligatr thrust a large, fast-moving vortex of water at Charizard, who managed to narrowly dodge it before rocketing forward to use wing attack. Feraligatr, remembering this from their prior engagement, grabbed onto the wing with a chilled hand. _He's improvising…_ Niko said, not even thinking to do such a thing. "HYDRO CANNON!"

Feraligatr looked directly at Charizard's face, holding down the Flame Pokemon, who retaliated with a flamethrower. Feraligatr, flames pelting the front of his face, managed to conjure the hydro cannon in his mouth and, briefly and quickly, open it, exposing him insides to the flames just to launch the attack.

A massive explosion of steam and smoke resulting, knocking Feraligatr on his back, and Charizard high into the air. The Flame Pokemon made a rapid descent before crashing onto the ground powerfully, causing the battlefield to briefly shake.

 _…_

 _Niko sat there for a moment. He had difficulty choosing between Chikorita and Totodile. He liked the idea of choosing another grass type, but he found Totodile to be intriguing as a water type. Although it looked a little dopey, it had an aura of strength behind it. Niko appreciated that._

 _"I choose Totodile," He finally responded, getting down on his knees to look at his newest Pokémon. "Hey buddy, my name is Niko, and I want to be your trainer. This is my friend, Magnemite. He'll be your teammate and friend, too!"_

 _"Niko, I think you and Totodile will do just fine. But, I have to warn you—oh!" Elm yelped as he noticed Totodile biting Niko's hand as the trainer reached out. "He likes to bite…a lot…"_

 _"I…noticed…" Niko said, wincing in pain. The big jaw Pokémon eventually let go, allowing its new trainer to nurse his hand._

…

Feraligatr slowly stood up slowly, watching Charizard do the same. Both Pokemon, now heavily damaged by the collision of the flamethrower and hydro cannon, grounded themselves, waiting for their trainer's next command.

"Feraligatr," Niko said calmly. "I'm very proud of you, no matter what happens now."

The Big Jaw Pokemon nodded, turning to face his trainer. He smirked, as any crocodile-like creature would. Turning back, he lifted his hands and whipped up a whirlpool and threw it across the field. Charizard shot to the side with what little energy it had left, only to see a hydro cannon flying towards it. The attack struck the lizard in the stomach, rocketing it backwards, past Ash, and into a wall, where it made a sizeable dent before collapsing forward.

"Charizard is unable to battle, Feraligatr is the winner! Ash will now use his sixth and final Pokemon!"

Niko's friends blinked in surprise.

"Wow…he defeated Ash's Charizard," Jake said. "Oak has mentioned it before. It's one of Ash's most powerful Pokemon. Maybe even stronger than Pikachu."

"Feraligatr has a history of defeating Charizards, though," Fay said with a wry smile, "this was no different."

"You also have to think," Jacob said, "both of Niko's Pokemon are injured, especially Feraligatr. Pikachu will be fresh. It's also fast, and has an advantage."

"I think Niko understood that," Oliver said, finally contributing to the conversation. "And…I think Feraligatr does, too."

"Return, Charizard," Ash said with a smile. "You did great, buddy. I'm really proud of you. Niko! Well done!"

"Pika!" Pikachu said excitedly. Ash turned and crouched down.

"You ready to go?"

"PIKACHU!" Pikachu said excitedly.

"Pikachu, I choose you!" Ash shouted, pointing forward. The yellow Mouse Pokemon bounded forward, sparks emitting from his red cheeks. "Use thunderbolt!"

"Feraligatr, whirlpool!" Niko commanded. Feraligatr quickly summoned a vortex of water, ready to fire. However, Pikachu's attack was too quick, striking the whirlpool directly and causing a powerful explosion that electrified Feraligatr. The Big Jaw Pokemon then fell forward, his body emitting smoke. Feraligatr started to pant heavily.

"Electroweb!" Ash shouted. Pikachu leapt into the air, creating an orange-yellow orb of electricity with his tail. He then flung the orb at Feraligatr, which transformed into a circular yellow electrical net that trapped Feraligatr. "And use thunderbolt!"

"Pika-CHUUU!" Pikachu shouted, firing another bolt of electricity at Feraligatr. The Big Jaw Pokemon roared out before collapsing, face-first, into the ground.

"Feraligatr is unable to battle, Pikachu is the winner!" the referee declared. "Niko will now use his last Pokemon!"

" **It comes down to this, folks!** " Colton Goodshow shouted through the microphone. " **Pikachu versus Mega Venusaur! Ash versus Niko! Champion versus challenger!** "

"GO NIKO!" Charlotte screamed loudly, nearly making Valerie cry from shock.

"Go Niko!" everyone else in the group shouted, getting a chant going. A rival chant—"Go Ash!"—also got started.

Niko ignored all of it. Calming his mind before continuing the battle. He looked up at the scoreboard, at the other five Pokemon that fought unbelievably hard for this. He thought of the other 12 Pokemon that fought to get him to the third match. And everyone else that got him through the World Tournament.

He thought of the gym battles, elite 4 challenges, rivals he had to face to improve enough to get to this point. All those hours of walking, training, and fighting. Through thick and thin, his Pokemon were always by his side, and vice versa. He was proud of them, trusted them, and believed in them.

He thought of his friends, all of whom kept him going when he was down, and cheered for him when he was up. This battle, win or lose, was for them.

"Venusaur, I choose you!"

"It comes down to this, Niko," Ash said, smiling. "Pikachu, are you ready?"

"Pika!"

"Use electroweb!"

"Petal blizzard!" Niko shouted. The Seed Pokemon whipped up a vortex of leaves and, instead of using them defensively, fired them at Pikachu, knocking the Mouse Pokemon out of the air and disrupting the electroweb. "Now, solarbeam!"

"Quick attack!" Ash shouted. "And follow up with thunderbolt!"

"Pi-KA!" Pikachu shouted, a heavy white stream of light following it as it slammed into Venusaur's face. Niko felt it, feeling like his nose was shattered. He then commanded Venusaur to use stun spore, only to remember that Pikachu couldn't be affected by it.

"Petal blizzard!" Niko shouted. Pikachu leapt backwards skillfully, dodging the defensive move, and fired a thunderbolt at Mega Venusaur.

"Iron tail!" Ash shouted. Pikachu shot forward once more, rolled through the air, and slammed a glowing white tail on top of Venusaur's forehead, thrusting the Seed Pokemon into the ground powerfully.

 _Agh!_ Niko thought to himself as he grit his teeth, collapsing to his knees. "Venusaur! Solarbeam!"

"Pikachu, dodge and use quick attack!" Ash shouted. At close range, Pikachu leapt back into the air and tackled Mega Venusaur at an angle, slamming into Venusaur's side now and dodging the solar beam. Niko felt something hit his left, causing him to nearly collapse on his right. He held his hand to the platform he was on to hold himself up. He took a moment to catch his breath, just before feeling a surge of electricity shoot through Venusaur—thunderbolt.

Ash then stopped, giving Niko and Mega Venusaur a chance to stand back up. They did, albeit slowly. Niko's legs felt light as he wobbled from side to side. He stood up straight, still breathing heavily. The crowd began to clap loudly, but he ignored it.

The only ones on the field that mattered were Ash, Pikachu, and Venusaur.

"Pikachu, electroweb!" Ash shouted. Pikachu sped towards Venusaur, dodging the petal blizzard shot at him, and leapt into the air to release an electrically-charged net. Mega Venusaur found himself caught in it and, similarly, Niko felt the pain of the attack as it pinned down the Seed Pokemon.

 _Can't…fall…now…_ Niko said, his legs feeling like jelly. His vision was starting to blur, but not much. It was still relatively easy to see, just his peripheries were fuzzy. "Venusaur, petal blizzard!"

Mega Venusaur whipped up a vortex of pink petals, some of them escaping the electroweb, but most of them not. However, escaping wasn't the plan. Eventually, Venusaur created so many that the web was filled with them, causing the web to start ripping. Eventually, the net burst with petals soaring everywhere.

Ash and Pikachu, surprised by this, hardly noticed Niko.

"Frenzy plant!" Niko shouted. Spiked roots quickly ripped out of the ground as Mega Venusaur roared loudly. The roots struck Pikachu several times, slapping and slamming into him like Charizard before. The Mouse Pokemon collapsed onto the grass, face-first and clearly very exhausted.

Slowly, however, it got back up. Pikachu stared at Niko and Mega Venusaur. The battle was close to completion.

Ash took a deep breath, and lifted up his Z-ring. "Pikachu!"

Niko did the same, feeling a similar rush of energy. "Venusaur!" Niko lifted his Z-ring, showing Grassium-Z.

The energy from Ash's Z-ring caused electricity to spray everywhere around him, blowing his hat away. Pikachu, instinctively, leapt backwards to grab it, landing back on the grass with it on his head. Pikachu jumped back towards Ash to fist-bump him, then slap his other fist with his tail.

"Stronger than a thunderbolt's 100,000 volts…" Ash began, "1,000,000 volts…No! Bigger than that! Our super full power! PIKACHU! USE 10,000,000 VOLT THUNDERBOLT!"

Pikachu leapt into the air and absorbed electricity from dark storm clouds as they appeared above them. Pikachu then fired seven bolts of electricity, each a different color of the rainbow, at Venusaur.

Meanwhile, Venusaur and Niko felt a rush of energy as they synchronized their own attack.

"It's just you and me, Venusaur," Niko said calmly. "Always has been, and always will be!"

He lifted his Z-ring, transferring the energy to Venusaur. Suddenly, the Seed Pokémon's eyes began to glow green again. Niko began to feel like he was leaving his own body—the same feeling he felt when he was fighting Ferdinand Diamond.

 _No…_ he thought. _We're not doing that again!_

"Venusaur, use Bloom Doom!" Niko shouted instead. Just as Pikachu fired his seven bolts of electricity, Venusaur shot a blast of solar energy high into the air, creating a field of flowers around him.

That same blast of energy fell down on Pikachu just as Venusaur—and Niko—felt the full force of 10,000,000 volts. Niko screamed loudly, just as Venusaur did. He fell forward onto his knees, and suddenly the world went black all around him.

* * *

 _"Oh, right. I put the scarf on Venusaur before your battle with Ian. Venusaur gave me a sense of—" Charlotte was stopped abruptly by Niko's lips touching hers._

 _…_

 _"That's a Bulbasaur, Niko. It's a grass and poison type Pokémon." His dad said softly, crouching down as well. "You see this bulb on the back? It allows Bulbasaur to eat without having to actually eat food."_

 _"How does it do that?" The young Niko asked, looking at the bulb._

 _"It stores energy from the sun. And when it gets bigger, the bulb becomes a giant flower!" His Dad said with wonder._

 _"Wow!" Niko said in awe. "Dad, can I get a Bulbasaur?"_

 _"When you're older, Niko. Trainers get their Pokémon usually after they turn 10."_

 _"One day, I'm going to catch a Bulbasaur, and it'll be the strongest Bulbasaur out there!" Niko said definitively._

 _…_

 _After a minute or so of thinking, Niko finally decided. "I choose Bulbasaur, Professor Oak." He proclaimed, looking up at him. The professor smiled._

 _"Your father would be very proud of that choice, Niko. You and Bulbasaur are going to be fast friends I'm sure."_

 _…_

 _Niko ran over to Bulbasaur, who was clearly in pain. He got down on his knees and began to cradle his starter Pokémon. "Bulbasaur…I'm so sorry! You did such a great job and…I failed you. I failed you," He said to the now unconscious seed Pokémon._

 _…_

 _"Venusaur…" Niko said calmly. "I—I know you're reluctant to do this, and you have every right to be. But if our goal is to be the best in the world—for me to become a Pokémon Master—we need to take this step, and we need to take it together. Our bond as Pokémon and trainer is the strongest, and we can do it, but only if you will it so. You can't give up. Especially not you. You've never given up. In fact, you taught me how to never give up."_

* * *

 **Author's Note: So...the World Tournament is pretty much over. Who won that? What does the future hold for Niko and his friends? Find out in the last episode!**

 **Fun fact: This is now the longest episode of the series at 9,684 words, without the A/N.**

 **Also, will probably have the next episode and the Epilogue up around the same time today. Got carried away yesterday with other things and couldn't sit down to write this. Plus...as you can see the episode itself took some time.**


	24. Niko from Pallet Town

**Episode 24: Niko from Pallet Town**

The world around Niko was spinning as he opened his eyes. He was laying face-down on the platform, his body just barely hanging off of it and on the grass. Slowly, he moved his head to look up. He couldn't hear anything, and could only barely see.

Venusaur was still standing.

 _What…?_ Niko thought to himself. _What happened? Did I faint again? If so, how is Venusaur still surviving?_

Moving was difficult. He tried to lift his arm up, only to feel like it was being ripped apart. Nevertheless, he fought through the pain and lifted his upper body up, his hands keeping him where he was. Then, he lifted his hands and entire upper body to sit on his knees. That's when he saw the stadium cheering. He slowly tilted his head to see the monitor. All he could see was his profile staring back down at him.

 _No way…_ Niko thought. _Did I just…?_

"Pikachu is unable to battle! Venusaur is the winner! The victory in this battle, and in the World Championship round, goes to Niko from Pallet Town!"

" **Would you look at that, folks! We now have a new Pokemon World Champion!** " Colton Goodshow's voice boomed loud enough even for Niko to hear, " **And it's Niko from Pallet Town!** "

He took a moment to process this. _Did we really just…Venusaur? Did we?_

The Seed Pokemon turned his body around to look at his trainer, sitting on his knees, breathing heavily. He smiled warmly, albeit exhausted, and nodded.

 _Yes, Niko. We won._

Niko simply ignored the fact that his Pokemon talked to him telepathically, and simply closed his eyes and nodded back.

 _We won._

He then fell backwards on the platform, and everything went black once more.

* * *

The next thing Niko knew, he was sitting upright in a hospital bed. White surrounded his entire room, To his left were IVs and a variety of other equipment and machines Niko didn't recognize. To his left were flowers…lots of flowers. In front of him was Charlotte, passed out in an armchair.

He sat there, watching his girlfriend sleep. He could still barely hear, and barely move. So he waited until, minutes later, Brittany, Daisy, and Jake walked in, with a small crowd peeking through the doorway.

"Afternoon, Champ," Jake said, holding out his hand. Niko high-fived it. "How're you feeling?"

"Confused. Very confused," Niko said, his voice raspy. "How long have I been out?"

"About…four or five hours," Brittany replied, leaning over to hug him. "I'm so proud of you, Niko."

"So…I actually won?" Niko asked. "That wasn't just me dreaming?"

"Yeah Niko. You won," Jake replied, his eyes wide. "You beat Ash Ketchum. You're the World Champion now."

Niko shook his head in disbelief. _So that was real. Venusaur did talk to me, and I did win it all_. "Uh…wow…"

Daisy walked forward, leaned towards her son and kissed his forehead. "Your dad would be so happy, and so proud, of you."

"I hope so," Niko said, thinking back to the collection of memories he saw before passing out the first time. He saw his father again, introducing him to a Bulbasaur for the first time. _I guess I did get the strongest Bulbasaur after all._

"So would JJ," Maizie, who just entered the room, said. Umbreon was at her side, Valerie in her arms. The Moonlight Pokemon walked up to Niko's beside and put his front paws up on the top of the mattress. He looked at Niko with two gleaming yellow eyes. Two grateful, gleaming yellow eyes.

"Hey," Niko said, again in his raspy voice. He put out a hand to pet Umbreon. "You did amazing, buddy. You helped us win," he then saw Umbreon's eyes glistening. "But you're Maizie's Pokemon now. Protect her and Valerie for me, okay?"

Umbreon nodded before walked back to his new trainer.

"Actually…" Maizie said, looking at Niko. "I would like to jointly own his Pokemon with you, if that's possible."

"They're not mine to raise, Maizie. They should stay with you and help raise your daughter. If something happened to you, I'll happily be their godfather, too. But they're more your family than mine."

Maizie nodded, seeming grateful. "Alright, fair enough Niko."

"So…how much longer do I have to be in here? What exactly happened to me?"

"You got a concussion when you passed out," Jake said. "That was a nasty fall, right after the match was called for you. Venusaur looked really worried."

"To actually answer your question," Brittany said, "They'll discharge you now if you'd like."

Niko nodded, attempting to get out of bed. Brittany and Jake immediately grabbed onto his arms to help him stand. "I'm fine, guys," he said in his hospital gown. He stood up straight, feeling fine enough to walk, albeit slowly. "I'd like to get out of this, too."

"Here you go," Niko turned to see Charlotte standing over by her armchair, holding his clothes in her arms. "That gown looks hideous on you anyways."

Niko turned to his friends and mother, and they all left the room, leaving him and his girlfriend alone. When they left, he walked over to her, picked her up, and passionately kissed her. They stood there for well over a minute before he put her down, looking into her eyes.

"I knew you could do it," she said softly. "I'm so proud of you."

Niko didn't say anything, letting the tears express how he felt. "I…I did it, Charlotte. I achieved my dream."

They didn't say anymore, only hugged.

* * *

Niko felt a full body tackle come on as Warren ran into him, hugging him tightly. "WORLD FUCKING CHAMPION!" he shouted in the front of the stadium. "YOU DID IT, NIKO! YOU DID IT!"

Niko smiled despite his back feeling crushed. "I did! I did it!" he said, grabbing Warren's shoulders. "Thank to you."

"To me?"

"Yeah. To all of you. You all played a role in getting me here. This battle was for you guys! But to you in particular—you got me back off of my feet when I was at my lowest point. I'll never forget that."

Warren nervously rubbed the back of his neck and laughed. "I just thought you'd have fun with it! And I'd have fun travelling with you, too!"

Sydney walked up and hugged him warmly, too. "I'm really proud of you, Niko."

The others all looked at him, walking up to congratulate him as well.

"You did it! I knew you could!" Jacob shouted as he hugged Niko.

"Good job, Niko," Cody said, holding out a hand.

Melinda hugged him normally, sounding grateful for Niko as well, and equally grateful for their friendship.

Lauren simply hugged him and, her face buried in his chest, muttered something that sounded like "good job."

Kaila ran up to Niko and hugged his waist tightly. "YOU DID IT YOU DID IT YOU DID IT!" she said quickly and excitedly. "I KNOW THE WORLD CHAMPION! WE KNOW HIM, RUFFY!"

"Ruff!" Ruffy said happily before resorting to panting.

Fay walked up and, unexpectedly, hugged Niko as well. "Champion Niko. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

Niko returned the hug. "It kind of does, actually."

He then turned to Oliver and Wally, noticing something different about them. They were holding hands now. "Wait, what?" he asked, confused. The two raised them proudly. " _Oh…_ congrats, you two!" he said, walking over to hug both of them. Wally had tears in his eyes.

"I'm so happy I got to meet you, Niko," Wally said, sobbing a little. "You're one of my best friends."

"Likewise, Wally. Likewise."

"So now there's some sort of ceremony in the morning," Charlotte said. "Since you passed out, they decided to postpone it."

Niko nodded to her. "That's perfectly fine with me," he smiled. "Now let's head to bed, right?" he said to his friends, all of whom looked tired. It had been a long, long day.

* * *

The next morning, Niko woke up early to talk with his Pokemon. Altogether, he sent them out. Only Venusaur knew the results of the match, so the others were eagerly awaiting the news.

Niko could hardly hold back the tears again. Looking at his Pokemon, he put a fist up to his mouth and stood there for a moment, calming himself down. "Thank you all."

Confused, some of them turned to Venusaur. The Seed Pokemon smiled at them and winked.

"We won," Niko finally said.

Without time to process it, the Pokemon all charged at him, tackling him, propping him up so he didn't fall over, and altogether cheered for their trainer.

"You're all World Champions now," Niko said. "Each and every one of you contributed to this. And for that, I couldn't be more grateful. Truly…" he said. "I mean it."

He individually said thank you to each Pokemon, hugging them, and moving on. He got to Venusaur last and, in front of his Pokemon, crouched down so he was eye level.

"Hey buddy," Niko said. "Thanks for everything. From the start, we've never stopped trying. We've given up, but we've always been there for one another. I don't know what I would do, who I would be, without you, Venusaur."

He then touched his head to the Seed Pokémon's. They sat there for a while, enjoying the other's company.

"Niko," a solemn voice said behind him. Suddenly, Niko heard growling and snarling. Even Venusaur was. Niko stood up and turned to see a man that resembled a shadow more than an actual human.

"Hunter?"

"Congrats on the win," Hunter said bluntly. "I saw it last night from the stands. You've gotten stronger."

"I have. Actually, I kind of have you to thank for that. Among plenty of other people, but still."

"I'm…glad I could be a part of that," he said, as if pained by it. "Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. I hope you're well otherwise."

"I hope the same, I guess," Niko said, unsure of what else to say.

Hunter was about to leave when he turned around, back to Niko. "And…thanks to you, too. Losing to you has helped me become a better person. At least, that's what I'd like to think. I wish you the best in the future, World Champion."

"Thanks, Hunter," Niko replied. He turned and walked away when Niko thought of something. "Hey, Hunter!"

"Hmm?" he said, turning around.

"Next time we meet, I challenge you to a battle," Niko smirked. "Let's see how you fare against a World Champion."

Hunter, maybe for the first time in Niko's memory, smiled. "Yeah. I'd like that. Goodbye, Niko."

* * *

" **Ladies and Gentlemen!** " Colton Goodshow declared on the battlefield of the stadium. " **Please welcome the former World Champion, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!** "

Ash walked onto the field, trailed by the six Pokemon that he used in the third match—Krookodile, Lycanroc, Sceptile, Greninja, Charizard, and Pikachu. They approached President Goodshow, who held a massive trophy in one hand, and a microphone in the other.

" **And now, allow me to be the first one to recognize our new World Champion…Niko from Pallet Town!** "

The crowd roared in applause as Niko, trailed by Braviary, Umbreon, Magneton, Magmortar, Feraligatr, and Venusaur, walked onto the field. He greeted Ash Ketchum. Pikachu on his shoulder, Ash pulled Niko in.

"Congrats, Niko. Of everyone I've faced, I think you deserve this victory the most," he said sincerely.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed.

Niko nodded. "It has been the honor of a lifetime to battle you, Ash. You made my dream come true."

Ash thought for a moment about what they meant, and nodded. "You are now a Pokemon Master, Champion Niko."

Colton Goodshow then handed Niko the trophy: a large, golden trophy with four pokéballs on the corners of the cup and a large, silver pokéball sitting above the rest, held up by a stand on the inside of the cup. Niko took it, showed it to his Pokemon, and then held it in front of him. He didn't say anything, only taking in the moment of a lifetime.

"Congrats, Niko," President Goodshow said. "I hope to see you here again in seven years."

Niko smirked, looking at his Pokemon and back at the president. "I will be here, Mr. Goodshow."

* * *

There was a party that night at rooftop club in downtown Castelia City that Niko was highly encouraged to attend. So he did, and brought along with him Charlotte, Warren and Sydney, Brittany, Lauren, and Fay, Cody, and Jacob. They dressed up somewhat nicely and made it to the party late in the evening.

Niko recognized some of the people. He could see Alder dancing around with some of the younger female Elite 4 members like Caitlyn of Unova's Elite 4, or Phoebe of Hoenn's Elite 4. Cynthia and Lance were off by a table nearby, drinking casually. Niko decided to make a stop over the, Charlotte following him.

"Champion," Lance said with a warm smile.

"Hi Lance, Cynthia," Niko said eagerly. "How're you two doing?"

"I'm not much into these sorts of parties. I was about to leave until you got here," Cynthia said plainly. "By the way, I'm proud of you for making it all the way. Lance here was pretty distraught after your battle with him."

"I was not!"

"That's not what you told me," Cynthia said with a wink. "Anyway, in the coming months I want to talk more with you about the duties of the World Champion. Right now, I'm the Chair of the Champion's Council. You are now a defacto member of it, and may come and go in our meetings and business as you please."

"Champion's Council?" Niko asked.

"Yes. There is a group of all current regional Champions. When matters concerning a specific region are concerned, the gym leaders and Elite 4 are encouraged to attend. The World Champion is also allowed in, and generally should attend to give his or her opinion on world matters. Remember the recent World Crisis? The Champion's Council met frequently, and in Alola often. Then as the crisis hit its peak, we were in constant communication. I have been the Chair of the council for the past two years, and I'll be stepping down in a few months. Generally, we rotate who becomes the Chair."

"Got it," Niko said, now realizing his role was not just a trainer title, but a real job. A real duty that he had to fulfill. "There's a lot I don't know about this, I guess."

"And we'll help you out. It isn't a massive commitment, but Ash made it a goal to be present at each meeting. In addition, it's recommended that you attend at many Pokemon Leagues as possible. Your presence in places will now matter a great deal. You will be seen as the ideal trainer; a role model to young, new, beginning trainers all around the world."

Niko nodded, soaking it in. "Yeah, I completely understand."

"Good. I'm glad," she said, holding out a hand. "I must get going. It's been a pleasure as always, Niko."

"Thank you too, Cynthia," Niko said, watching the Sinnoh Champion walk off, Lance in tow. He turned to Charlotte, who looked excited and surprised by the conversation she just heard. "Come with me," he said, guiding her over to the edge of the rooftop where they could see the entirety of the city. "It's been a crazy couple of days, hasn't it?"

"It really has," Charlotte replied. "But the best couple we've had in a long time."

"Since the Lumiose Conference," Niko said with a wink. "Anyway, now's the time to think about the future."

"Yeah, I've been thinking about it, too," Charlotte said.

"I want to be with you," Niko said without thinking about it. "I don't know where I want to go, or what I want to do next, but I just know that I want you in it. Somehow, in some way," he looked down at her, "I love you a lot. I don't know where our future will take us, or what you'll do next. But I want to be a part of it."

"I feel the same way, Niko," Charlotte said softly. "It makes me nervous sometimes to think about it, though."

"What do you mean?" Niko asked, now genuinely worried.

"Well…you belong to the world now. You have to set an example for others and, in some cases, protect them."

"But you can be a part of that, too!" Niko said. "I'm not some superhero, or anything! I'm just a trainer. I'm just some ordinary person!"

"Which is what makes you so unique," Charlotte said. "I'm sorry, I guess I just overreacted there. It's just been a lot to take in."

"Trust me, I know that too well."

"Niko, promise me nothing will happen to us," she said.

"I promise, Charlotte," Niko said, leaning in to kiss her.

* * *

The day after the party, Niko and his friends went back to Pallet Town, where Daisy and Jake decided to throw a party for Niko. That way, all of his friends—Pokemon included—could attend.

Niko didn't know much about it until he was made aware a couple of days after returning home. The last time he had been here, he had just finished preparing for the tournament. He placed his trophy on his desk, next to the eight cases of badges, prints, and Z-crystals. He walked down the stairs to see his friends gathered there.

"Surprise!" they shouted.

"Huh?"

"We're throwing a party for you!" Warren exclaimed.

"…really?" Niko asked curiously.

"Yeah, that one rooftop one was boring as hell. Ash was only there for like half an hour with Serena, and then even they left!" Warren explained. "So we decided to move it to Oak's lab, where everyone could participate—even your Pokemon!"

Niko smiled. "Well, thanks you all."

He spent much of the party talking with friends, old and new, engaging with his Pokemon and watching them interact with others. Then, after having a riveting conversation with Professor Oak about the Bond Phenomenon—which he had seen Ash perform in their final battle—Niko snuck away from the lab and across town.

Minutes later, he made it to the cemetery. As if on autopilot, he walked over to his father's grave, and crouched down.

"I did it, Dad," Niko said calmly. "I'm now the strongest trainer in the world. Err…I hope you got to see it, from wherever you are. I think you would've loved watching it. By the way, thanks for encouraging me to catch a Bulbasaur. I wouldn't be here without one."

He stood up, took one more look at the grave, and walked on towards another one.

"JJ!" Niko said, as if addressing his friend as he normally would. "I did it pal. I won the World Championship. By the way, your Umbreon got to participate, too. He didn't win, but he still did his best. I think you'd be proud of him all the same. I did it for you. I hope that, wherever you are now, you got a chance to see us kick ass. Me, Umbreon, Venusaur, and the others that you trained with, watched me raise, and watched become the World Champions.

"I miss you so much, JJ."

Niko stood up and walked off.

* * *

Niko rejoined everyone at Oak's ranch. Immediately, Daisy ran up to him. "Where have you been, Niko!?"

"I went to the cemetery to see Dad and JJ," Niko explained. Suddenly his mom's worry faded, and she simply hugged him.

"I'm glad you did that, Niko."

Everyone got back to whatever they were doing as Niko walked back into the party. He high-fived Feraligatr, hugged Serperior and Magneton, shook Sceptile's hand. Delibird leapt into his arms and he hugged him too. Aggron charged over to his trainer to hug him, and Niko briefly obliged. Niko then crouched down to pet Vaporeon, and got back up to hug Naganadel.

"You guys know where Charlotte is?" Niko asked. Vaporeon nodded, tilting her head towards the backdoor of Oak's lab. There she was, in a bright white and yellow sundress talking with Brittany about something. He closed the distance between them and joined the conversation. "Hey you two, what's up?"

"Not much. Brittany's just telling me about some her contests. Oh, and this cute boy she met there."

"Oh?" Niko asked, raising an eyebrow.

"His name is Cayden, apparently," Charlotte said teasingly. Brittany turned beet red. "And he is a coordinator, too!"

"Nice. He'd be an idiot if he didn't feel the same way," Niko said sincerely.

"Guys, shut up!" she said, looking away to hide her face. Niko and Charlotte laughed.

"Hey Charlotte, can I talk to you for a moment?" he asked. Charlotte nodded, and he took her hand and walked her away from everyone else. Only Venusaur and a few others noticed him doing this. Niko briefly looked at him and smiled, motioning them away.

"What is it?" Charlotte asked. Niko stopped them, placed his hands on her shoulders, and stared deeply into her hazel eyes.

"Well, remember how I said I wanted you in my life?" Niko asked. She nodded. "Well, part of doing that means I want to hear your thoughts on decisions that I'm going to make."

"Yeah…?" Charlotte asked, sounding slightly suspicious. _Is he going to…?_

"Well, I've been thinking about this a lot. I sort of realized it a while ago, but it wasn't clear in my head until just a couple of days ago…"

"Niko, are you actually…?"

"I'd like to adopt Kaila."

Charlotte froze, looking directly at Niko.

"Huh?" she said, blinking.

"Yeah…she doesn't have parents. I'd like to adopt her. I want your opinion on this, because you're one of the biggest, if not the biggest, part of my life now. And, even though we aren't married or anything, you'd kind of still be her…"

"Foster mother…?" Charlotte asked.

"Yeah…sort of," Niko said. "It sounds weird when I think about it. I always sort of saw her as a sister. Not sure what we'd technically be if I adopted her. Anyway, I haven't said anything to her, or anyone else. I wanted your thoughts on it first and foremost."

"I think it's a great idea, Niko," Charlotte said, hugging him. "I'd love to have her as part of our family."

 _Our family…_ Niko said. _I like the sound of that_.

"Well, why don't we go and ask her if she wants to be a part of 'our family'?" Niko asked, taking Charlotte's hand again. "By the way, did you think I was going to ask you something else?"

"Huh?" Charlotte asked, blushing. "Oh…oh, no I didn't."

"Whatever you say," Niko said. They found Kaila sitting among Ruffy and some of Niko's Pokemon, plus Charlotte's Decidueye, Ampharos, and Smeargle. "Hey, Kaila…"

"Niko! Charlotte! Hi!" she said excitedly.

"There's something Charlotte and I want to talk to you about…" Niko said.

"Are you two getting married!?" she shouted, attracting a lot of attention. Niko turned to them and shook his head seriously, motioning for them to stop staring at them.

"No, it's not that," Niko continued. "It's about you."

"What is it?" Kaila asked, suddenly worried.

"Well," Charlotte began, "Niko—and I—would like to adopt you."

Kaila dropped her cup of soda, staring directly at them, and blinking wildly. Tears formed in her eyes, and all she did was tackle them, hugging both of them tightly.

* * *

Later that day, as the sun was setting, and people were starting to leave, Niko brought a small group of his friends to watch the sunset. With Charlotte, Kaila, Brittany, Jake, Fay, Lauren, and Warren, he walked with them to the southern part of Pallet Town, just overlooking the ocean to the south of them. They were near the Pallet Town port, at the top of a hill overlooking most of it, and the town proper. Niko sat down at the top, watching the sun glaze the ocean in its light.

Niko didn't say anything, simply looked at each of his friends in turn. When he left with Fay and JJ on their first day; meeting Brittany on the S.S. Anne; taking Jake with him to Hoenn; meeting Lauren in Sinnoh; talking to Warren for the first time as he moved into a Castelia City apartment for a couple of months; bumping into Charlotte after looking to buy a snack for the runaway Snivy he found in a dumpster; helping Kaila and Ruffy train on Melemele Island in Alola.

Niko looked at each one of them in turn, taking in the moments and memories that they had shared through the years.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I know I said the Epilogue would come out at this time, but I was too hopeful XD. There will be an Epilogue and an Afterword, both of which will come out either tonight or sometime tomorrow. Many apologies.**

 **I do hope you've enjoyed this episode, arc, and season. A lot of work was put into putting this final season together, and at times it might have been confusing, or might have jumped around a bit. I apologize for that. Nevertheless, I enjoyed writing it, and I hope you enjoyed reading it just as much.**

 **Since this is technically the season finale, I'll do my usual thanks here: those who followed, reviewed, and favorited:**

 **Athios, Citylover96, Haro654, Jolteon2404, Light Flame Blast, Mega Espeon, Saberlariat, Toragon3110, YellowFlashCannon, NightTheWatcher, ZadArchie, Poke'fan9294, Pokemaster3164, and MerlockVonBaron!**

 **Until the Epilogue, I have nothing else to say. Enjoy ;)**


	25. Epilogue: Through the Years

**Epilogue: Through the Years**

Niko thrust his hand forward excitedly. This was it—the end of a Pokemon match that had been a long time coming! "Go Kaila!"

"Ruffy, use stone edge!" Kaila commanded decisively. Her Lycanroc leapt into the air, summoning pointed stones and firing them down at their opponent—a Charizard. The Flame Pokemon swiftly moved to the right before launching forward with a steel wing attack. "Ruffy, accelerock!"

"Ruff!" Lycanroc shouted, rocketing forward, a stream of light appearing behind him as he tackled the Charizard, head-on. Both of them collapsed to the ground, but only Ruffy managed to get back up before collapsing once more.

"Charizard is unable to battle, Lycanroc is the winner! The victory goes to Kaila from Hau'oli City!"

"That's it, folks!" Colton Goodshow declared. "The winner of the Indigo League Conference is Kaila from Hau'oli City in Alola!"

"Yes! We did it, Ruffy!" Kaila shouted, her Lycanroc running up to her, licking her face happily. "We have to go tell Niko and Charlotte!"

Kaila was about to leave when she was summoned to receive her trophy. Turning around, she saw Colton Goodshow and the Champion of the Kanto League, Lance, approach the center of the battlefield. Sighing, she stood up. "Guess we have to do this first, Ruffy."

"Ruff!"

"Congratulations, Kaila. As winner of the Indigo League, you now have the opportunity to face the Kanto Elite 4," Lance said. "Are you prepared to do this?"

"Yes! Yes of course I am!" Kaila shouted excitedly. "Right, Ruffy!?"

"Ruff!"

"Heh, awesome," Lance said with a smile. "Your first match will be against Lorelei. It'll be held here tomorrow afternoon, and will be a five-on-five Pokemon battle. I wish you the best of luck."

"Thank you!" Kaila said, taking the trophy and showing it to Ruffy. " _Now_ let's go find them!"

* * *

"Niko! Charlotte! I did it!" Kaila shouted, running up to her foster father and his girlfriend.

"I'm so proud of you, Kaila," Niko said, hugging her. "Ruffy, you did great, too!"

"Ruff!"

"Now you get to face the Elite 4," Charlotte added. "You're further along than I am!"

"Oh come on, Charlotte," Niko said, standing up and looking at his girlfriend. "You lose on a fluke, that's all!"

"That Feraligatr was almost as strong as yours!" Charlotte said. "I can see how you had difficulty with the Silver Conference, it's really something else!"

"Can I go there next, Niko?" Kaila asked. Niko turned again to her, crouched low, and nodded.

"Wherever you think you belong, Kaila. Do you want to travel on your own again?"

"Kinda, if that's okay," Kaila replied with some nervousness.

The year prior, only months after Niko won the World Championship, Kaila officially became part of Niko's family; his adopted daughter. Then, she decided to step out into the world and challenge the Kanto gyms, just as Niko had done at the start of his journey. She wanted to go off alone, just like he did. So, to give her space, Charlotte decided to head to Johto, with Niko tagging along for most of it. Like her boyfriend, and like her father, Charlotte and Kaila started anew, catching and training different types of Pokemon.

When it came time for their respective Pokemon Leagues, Charlotte made it to the finals once again, and Kaila ended up narrowly winning her regional conference.

Now Niko, almost 25, watched the two women in his life continue their journeys in much the same way that he had done. They got to see the world as he had seen it growing up. He also got to go re-live it as well.

"Do you need any help preparing for the Indigo League, Kaila?" Niko asked as they walked off to grab something to eat.

"No, I think I've got it. What type does Lorelei use again?"

"Err…" Niko said, thinking about it. As World Champion, he has gotten to know most Elite 4 members, as well as their type specialties. "I think she uses ice types. But Kanto has a lot of ice and water types, so she uses a mixture of the two."

"Like Lapras?"

"Especially Lapras," Niko replied.

"Oh, we can win that, right Ruffy?"

"Ruff!"

Niko smiled at his daughter's eagerness. It was the same eagerness he felt at the start of his journey.

* * *

Kaila managed to make it past Lorelei and to the second member of the Elite 4, Bruno, before losing to his Machamp. She was upset about it, but only briefly. She resolved herself to go to Johto now and continue training and meeting new types of Pokemon.

"She's definitely not my daughter," Niko joked at his mother's home in Pallet Town as she was enthralling Daisy in her adventures. "She dealt with her loss way better."

"She's learned from it, though," Charlotte replied. "As did you."

"By the way, when's Jake coming back?" Niko asked. Because of Kaila's Elite 4 challenge, he hadn't gotten a chance to go see Jake's. "He better have won the Kalos League."

"Did you have any doubt!?" Jake shouted from the front door, hands out to each side. " _Any_ doubt!?"

"Jake!" Niko shouted, scrambling up to embrace his brother. "You won?"

"Lost to Drasna," he winked.

"Damn, it's always her," Niko muttered to himself. "That's amazing, though!"

"Isn't it?" Jake said excitedly. "My opponent in the finals was a bit too easy, honestly. The semifinals were much harder."

"Sorry I couldn't make it. Kaila had her Elite 4 challenge, too," Niko said.

"Really now?" Jake said excitedly, turning to his adopted niece. "Great job!"

"Thanks, Jake!" Kaila said, high-fiving her foster uncle. "Congrats to you, too!"

Niko went back to sit down with Charlotte. He turned to her and smiled. "I need to do a better job of seeing everyone's battles…"

"Yeah, but now it's hard to do that," Charlotte said. "With Jake, and Kaila…"

"And you," Niko said, raising an eyebrow. "Can't forget yourself."

"Yeah, but I don't mind if you miss a league or whatever to see your daughter's."

"It's so weird calling her that," Niko said, "Still getting used to it."

His decision to adopt Kaila was not one of necessity, at least on his part—he didn't want a child so early in his life. The reason was more for her sake—she needed a place to call home, someone to call her family. In that way, Niko was more than happy to step in. He wanted her to have the sort of life he had had. If that meant he'd be a father to a 12-year old girl, then he'd do it.

She seemed happier than ever—living out her best life with Niko, his family, and Charlotte.

"I was thinking of going to Oak's Lab today," Jake said, "is Fay around?"

Niko thought about it for a moment. He couldn't recall hearing from the Pokemon researcher recently. "I…think he's still in the Orre Region, studying shadow Pokemon."

"Shadow…Pokemon…?" Jake asked curiously. "Wouldn't those just be ghost types?"

"Yeah, you'd think right? Fay said that's not the case, but he didn't elaborate. Some laboratory experiment went haywire, and he decided to head there to investigate and study it further. He's been gone for a few months now."

"Hope he's okay…" Charlotte said, slightly concerned.

"It's Fay, he'll be more than okay," Niko said with undying confidence for his friend.

Niko got up and walked outside to the backyard, where his Pokemon were running around playfully—well, at least some of them were. He could see Sceptile sitting up in a tree, as he usually did, with Venusaur underneath it. Incineroar was wrestling with Aggron, as they tended to do. Serperior was angrily fending off a playful Delibird. Niko witnessed her furiously spray the Delivery Pokemon with a leaf tornado, knocking him high into the air.

 _Oh, buddy…_ Niko thought to himself. He noticed Charlotte following him around. Her Pokemon also stayed at his house, which made them consider where—and how—they were going to continue to hold all of these Pokemon, now that Kaila was training and catching more as well.

It was a problem Niko was eager to solve, and would spend the next several months doing so.

* * *

 _One year later_

"I'm so excited to see Warren again!" Kaila shouted as she exited the plane in Castelia city with Charlotte and Niko.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Niko said. "About a year, I think," he looked to Charlotte for confirmation. She looked up and nodded, holding her carry-on at her side. The trio started to walk towards the exit of the gate and, as soon as they did, Niko felt a full-body tackle, this time actually knocking him to the ground. " _Oof_ ," Niko said, looking up to see Warren getting off of him.

"NIKO!" Warren shouted excitedly. "How're you doing!?"

"Fine, until you tackled me," Niko said with a smirk. "Hey Sydney!"

"Hi Niko!" Sydney shouted back.

"Kaila, I've got something for you," Warren said, "close your eyes, okay?"

Kaila nodded, eagerly closing her eyes and holding out her hands. Warren then reached into his pocket and pulled out a pokéball. Once she felt something in her palms, she opened her eyes, excited at her new gift.

"It's a Luxury Ball!" Warren said, pointing to the black and gold pokéball. "It's supposedly very comfortable, so use it on a Pokemon that you really think you'll like."

Kaila hugged it before looking up at Warren. "Thanks, Warren! I love it!"

They left the airport and started walking towards Sydney's car. "Where do you guys want to go? That sushi place we like?" the others, remembering how much they enjoyed it two years prior when Niko was at the World Tournament, nodded. "Let's do that, then. Hit it, Sydney!"

"You don't have to say that every time I turn on the car…" she said, rolling her eyes and laughing.

"So…what's new with you two?" Niko asked after they sat down.

"Well, for starters, Sydney is now the assistant producer at her radio station," Warren said amidst claps from the three visitors. "And I'm still running my orphanage."

"That's been open for…a year now?"

"Year and a half. Last time you were here, we had hit our six-month anniversary," Warren replied plainly.

Niko then heard Charlotte gasp. He turned to look at Sydney's hand. It took him a moment, but after blinking he finally gasped as well.

"You…you did not…" he said, turning to Warren.

"I did."

"When's it gonna be!?"

"You're getting married!?" Kaila shouted.

Warren nodded. "Probably next summer. We still need to save up money for it. Actually, now that you're here, Niko…" Warren said, leaning forward. "I'd like you to be the Best Man."

"On it," Niko said with a quick and decisive nod. "Absolutely."

"Excellent. See Sydney, I knew he'd say yes!"

"Did I doubt you…?" Sydney asked curiously. She then turned to the trio again. "He asked me a couple weeks ago, so it's still all fresh and new. Anyway, how have you three been? Any new Pokemon Leagues conquered?"

"I came in second in the Silver Conference!" Kaila shouted eagerly.

"That's Johto…right?" Warren asked, with Niko nodding in response. "And how about you, Charlotte? What have you been up to?"

"I finally won a conference—the Indigo League," she said happily. "Lost to Agatha."

"Who is surprisingly still alive," Niko said. "I remember battling her when I travelled in Kanto."

"Niko that was over 9 years ago…"

"I know!" Niko replied, eyes widened.

"And you, Niko?" Warren asked curiously.

"Nothing much, really. Been training my Pokemon, travelling with Charlotte in Kanto, seeing old sights, that kind of stuff. Jake's off somewhere in Alola now, I think. Fay is travelling to the Sevii Islands on a research mission.

"Actually, I should mention—Lauren stopped by our orphanage the other day. She is taking on the Unova League now," Warren said. "At least, I think it was your friend. Her name was Lauren and she had some wild hair."

"That's probably Lauren then," Niko said with a laugh. "Glad she's getting back into it, though."

* * *

The next day Niko, Charlotte, and Kaila visited Warren's orphanage on Liberty Street after visiting Charlotte's mom. It was a warm, welcoming atmosphere in a large bottom-floor suite on the side of a busy street. Warren did well. Very well, as it turned out.

Niko walked around, looking at parents with their children, teenagers, and even elderly couples gazing at the different kinds of Pokemon Warren was taking care of. He walked up to the front desk, where Warren sat, eagerly watching potential new owners.

"This is incredible," he said, turning back to see parents and their small child play with a Lillipup. "And you just find these Pokemon?"

"Or they're brought to me. Either or," Warren said as he noticed Leavanny walking out of the backroom. "Hey, were you able to fix up that Snivy?" Leavanny nodded happily, looking down at the Grass Snake Pokemon, now in an arm-sling, walking out nervously. "Great job! Hey, Snivy, you feeling better?" he asked, crouching down. Snivy looked up and nodded. "Good, I'm really glad. Now go on now, socialize!"

Snivy nodded, walking back into the front room towards its friends—a Sewaddle and a Deerling. Leavanny placed her thin hands on her chest, where her heart was, admiringly. Niko then noticed a young boy walking up to the Snivy, in confusion and awe at the creature. Seeing an opportunity, Niko walked up to him.

"Why is that Snivy—woah…" the little boy said, looking up at Niko. "You're…you're…"

"Who? What?" Niko said with a smirk.

"You're the World Champion…"

"I guess word gets around. Hey, I'm Niko," he said, holding out his palm. The kid high-fived him, and Niko crouched down onto a knee. "And to answer your question, this Snivy is bandaged up because it got hurt. I don't know how, but it's recovering from something.

"You know, Snivy is a really strong species of Pokemon," Niko explained to the kid. "It needs a strong and capable trainer to help it out. Do you know anyone who could do that?"

"…you?" he asked cautiously.

"Hah! No no, I have my own Snivy. It's a Serperior, though…" Niko said. "And she's one of my strongest Pokemon."

"You have a Serperior?" the kid asked with awe.

"Yup. Met one here in Castelia City, actually. I found her in a dumpster. She had run away from home, and I helped her out. Then, she wanted to join me, and we became best friends after that."

"I want a Snivy when I become a trainer," he said.

"Well, this Snivy is looking for a home," Niko said. The kid turned to the Grass Snake Pokemon, who looked back at him nervously. "I'm sure it would love to get to know you more."

"I don't know…" the kid said, seeming indecisive.

"Well, get to know it a little. I think you two could be best friends, too," Niko said, patting the kid on the back and winking to the Snivy before standing back up. He turned to see an awestruck Warren, and a not-so-surprised Charlotte. "What?"

"I quit, Niko," Warren said, "you can have my job."

"Hah! That's hilarious. I know nothing about running a business," Niko said teasingly. "Kaila, are you enjoying this too?"

"Yep! Thanks for taking me!" she said, particularly interested in a Venipede who was being rather social with some of the other Pokemon. Niko took note of it before asking her and Charlotte when they wanted to leave.

"You seem…a little antsy," Charlotte asked as they were walking out. "Is everything okay?"

Niko turned to her and nodded. "Yup, of course!" he said, turning to Warren and briefly showing him something shining from his back pocket as they left. His eyes widened, looking just as surprised as Niko expected him to be. "So…after we get back to Pallet Town, what do you two want to do?"

"I'd like to visit Maizie in Alola, actually," Charlotte said. "If that's okay with you."

"Perfect," Niko said. "I meant as far as your journey, though."

"Oh! I haven't thought about that, honestly," Charlotte replied. "I was thinking of maybe going to Hoenn. You talk about that region a lot, too."

"Can I go with you?" Kaila asked excitedly. "I've never been!"

"Of course you can. It can be a family thing," Niko said.

"Family…thing…?" Charlotte asked.

They had now reached the pier. Without realizing it, Charlotte and Kaila had been walking on autopilot with Niko to Liberty Pier.

"Yeah. Family thing," Niko said. "Because we're a family."

"Well, not technically," Charlotte said. "Kaila's your daughter, and I'm just—"

She paused.

Niko was looking _up_ at her.

Niko was normally looking _down_ at her.

There was a ring in his hand.

"Will you marry me?"

"Uhh…what…"

"Charlotte," Niko said, tilting his head.

"I know what you said!" she replied, hands up to her mouth. "Um…yes! Yes, yes!"

Niko took a deep breath, relieved. "Thank Arceus…" he said, standing up and kissing Charlotte. "You had me worried there for a moment."

"You had me surprised there for a moment!" Charlotte exclaimed. "I did not expect that, honestly."

"Really?"

"Yeah! I thought you were going to wait another year or so."

"Well, this is just an engagement. _We_ can wait another year or so. But, Charlotte…" Niko said, "I meant it when I said I wanted you in my life. Remember when I told you that I was adopting Kaila? Well, I was going to ask you then, but that would've been too much."

"That's what I thought you were going to ask me!" she said, lightly punching his shoulder. "You troll!"

Niko smirked, winking at Kaila. "I have her permission, too."

"Of course you do!" Kaila shouted. "Why wouldn't you!?"

"Hey, she's going to be your mother. I wouldn't have done it without your permission, young lady," Niko said in a mock serious tone. He then noticed Warren was standing down a ways on the pier, watching them and jumping up and down. Next to him was Sydney, and on his other side Emily, Charlotte's mother.

"Niko, this is incredible," Charlotte said.

"So are you," Niko replied, hugging her.

* * *

 _Two months later_

They had gotten back from Castelia City to announce their own engagement. Daisy, who had known prior to their trip, was nevertheless through the roof about it. Jake was excited at the prospect of having a sister-in-law. Fay, who had just gotten back from his second trip to Orre, seemed excited, but was certainly not himself.

This worried Niko, and when he visited Oak's Lab a few days after his trip, he saw his friend looking incredibly exhausted.

"What…happened…?" Niko asked curiously.

"Some of the things that I saw in Orre were, well, unusual," Fay replied. "I'd rather not go into detail about it."

"You need some rest, though."

"Yeah, I'm heading home in a bit. By the way, I meant it when I said congrats. You deserve happiness, Niko."

"So do you. Please remember that," Niko said, walking out of the lab.

A couple of months later, Brittany and Maizie visited Pallet Town. Brittany had been spending a lot of her time helping Maizie run the ranch and raise Valerie, as Niko was off doing things. It made him feel somewhat guilty, though—he was Valerie's godfather, technically, so it should be his duty to help Valerie in any way that he could.

Brittany and Maizie both shrugged it off, though. "Niko, it really is fine!" the brunette coordinator said. "Cayden and I love being with them. I mean that."

"Oh, Cayden?" Niko asked. Brittany had mentioned the boy before, but not much.

"Yeah, my boyfriend!" Brittany said excitedly. "He's a coordinator, too!"

"You mentioned that," Niko said. "That's really exciting!"

"It is," she said, blushing a little. They all then looked down at Valerie, now two and a half years old, walking around the backyard of Daisy's home in Pallet. "She doesn't stop walking!"

"Or talking," Maizie said with mock-exhaustion.

"I can't imagine," Niko said. He then turned to Charlotte, who's face was light pink, as if she were blushing. She was also looking down at her stomach. Niko didn't think much of it, instead watching Valerie play with Serperior's tail. She at first threatened to send the toddler into space, but when Niko sternly shook his head, she allowed the tiny hands to grab onto it and pull, which hardly seemed comfortable for the Regal Pokemon. He then watched Braviary help Valerie up and fly her across the ground, only a foot or so in the air.

 _It's these moments that we'll never forget through the years…_ Niko thought to himself.

"Hey, Niko," Charlotte said, slowly standing up. "Can…I talk to you?"

"Sure, what's up?" Niko asked. His fiancé got up and walked with him, albeit slower than usual. "Are you okay? You're grabbing your stomach."

"Y-yeah, heh, I'm just fine," she said with the widest smile he had seen in a long time. "Niko, err, I'm pregnant."

Niko felt his brain stop working. There was no way.

No way.

"Huh?" he finally replied.

"Yeah, we're having a child."

"Oh…oh my god…" Niko said, still unsure of how to react. He noticed Venusaur eyeing him, with a smile etched on his face. Feraligatr did his best whistling impression and, soon enough, all of their Pokemon were cheering and clapping for them. He saw Valerie, Maizie, Jake, Daisy, and Brittany all doing the same. Even Fay was there, clapping happily as well. "They…they all knew?"

"Well, they all knew you were going to propose to me," Charlotte said with a wink. "It's only proper that I return the favor."

"Geez…Charlotte," he said, hugging her tight. "I love you."

"I love you too, Niko," she said softly.

He then turned to his friends and family. His Pokemon and partner. Niko couldn't be happier. The past nine years felt like an eternity to him. But he had grown more than he had expected in those nine years.

From starting out with a Bulbasaur at Oak's Lab, to winning the Pokemon World Tournament with that same Bulbasaur, now a Venusaur, he had achieved his dream as a Pokemon Master. He had become a role model to trainers around the world, a father to an orphaned child, and now a soon-to-be husband to his best friend and a father to their child.

If the next nine years were to be anything like the last nine, then Niko couldn't wait to see what would happen through the years.

* * *

 **Author's Note: So...that's it. That's all the story left to tell.**

 **What'd you all think? I'll ask the usual questions:** **What did you like and/or dislike about the season? Did the plot move smoothly? Do you think the characters were developed enough and, if not, who wasn't and why? What can I work on in the future? As always, you are by no means obligated to answer these.**

 **There is an Afterword with more thoughts from me on this story and other things.**


	26. Afterword

**Afterword:**

I started this story largely out of boredom. None of you know this, but I studied politics in school, and hope to work in it. So after November of 2016, I was out of a job. And finding jobs in politics is not easy when you don't know a lot of people. Plus, I was in a very distorted mindset.

To get away from the chaos unfolding around me, I sought out Pokemon again. I hadn't really played the games or watched the anime in a long time because of school, so I watched XY(&Z) for the first time. That's when I thought "why not make a story of my own?"

I had written fanfiction before, and it was actually terrible (like… _really bad_ ), but I stopped because I wasn't disciplined or dedicated enough to keep up with it. However, now I was out of school and out of work, so spending my free time writing seemed like a good idea to take my mind off of things and do something that I felt was productive and fun.

That's what spawned _Through the Years_. That wasn't the original title (I forget what it was, actually). It just came to me in a random brain blast, or whatever. I started the story out as any fanfic would. The main character, Niko, is admittedly a self-insert, as are a lot of the main characters. The things Niko went through early on in his journey—a lack of self-confidence, feelings of purposelessness, etc.—are things that I have dealt with and still deal with today. The end of his journey is what I strive for, and one that I believe others should as well: happy, healthy, and safe lives for them and their families.

A lot of the characters, at least at their introductions, act very much like the characters they are based on. I don't think any of them are reading this, but who they end up being are not exactly the same as who they are as I know them, if that makes sense.

(Also it's worth noting that Niko's Pokemon are most of my personal favorites)

This story was always going to be this long, with one exception: there was actually supposed to be 10 seasons. The tenth one, situated between Seasons 1 and 2, was going to be a journey to the Sevii Islands. Niko would have gone with JJ, Fay, and Brittany, and challenged made-up gyms there. He was also supposed to catch Magmar there, too. I scrapped it because it wasn't going to add much to the overall story, and I'm sort of glad I did. Funny how things work out, though.

But this story, from beginning to end, was largely the same. Niko was supposed to go through a crisis in Season 5, meet Charlotte in Season 6, and become World Champion in Season 9. I posted episodes every day so that I could finish this story on time, and so it really took a lot out of me. Like… _a lot_. I sometimes found myself falling asleep as the keyboard (Niko's gym battle with Winona was one such example, actually). I might have early-onset arthritis, but that's okay.

I will say this, though: I'm really proud of myself for sticking through this to the end. I've never completed a project of this size before, and it's shown me the results of discipline and dedication can look like. More than that, though, I'm glad all of you got to stick around and read along with me as I wrote it (or, if you're reading this later, for sticking through with Niko to the end!). I've always meant it when I say you all are the reason I kept going. Didn't want to disappoint anyone by suddenly stopping! I'm thankful for all of the reviews and the opportunities to talk with you about the story, and hearing your thoughts on the writing style that I've established. Hopefully that can continue in the future.

By the way, I do have plans to edit this moving forward. There are a lot ( _a lot_ ) of grammatical errors, plot errors, etc. that I plan on fixing. This site is terrible for not sending out notifications for edits, so I've decided to create a separate twitter account, so you can all follow along with them. It's: evanibblefic

Also, a few of you have asked what my plans are regarding writing in the future. I will still continue to write, but it might not be related to _Through the Years_ , or even related to Pokemon. I need a break from writing for a bit, but once I get back into it my next story might be something completely different (I've got ideas for an Avatar: Last Airbender fic, or a Digimon fanfiction, but that's it right now). The universe I created for _Through the Years_ is very, very large now, and there a million different directions that I could take it in, which is what made the Epilogue as difficult to write as it was. So…in sum, I'm not totally sure yet. But y'all will know, obviously.

Another thing: some people have expressed interest in the rosters for everyone. When I was writing the story, I kept a word document with all of them, and I'll post it at the bottom of this Afterword. I was considering giving you all a link to an excel spreadsheet, but I didn't know how to do that without making it a google sheet, and that required revealing my name and personal email, both of which I'm not entirely comfortable with. So I'm just going to put it here, in this Afterword, so you can take a look. This is the only place I'm putting it unless I find a better way to post it.

By the way, this story-in one word document-is 2,885 pages and 1,342,764 words!

Now, I'm not sure what else to write. There was a lot that I wanted to say, and I guess I've said it all. So again, thank you for reading, and I truly hope you enjoyed it.

Catch ya later!

~Evanibble

 **Through the Years Moveset**

(Note: the parentheses at the end are the gyms/trials that that particular Pokemon was the ace in)

 **Niko:**

Venusaur (male): solarbeam, petal blizzard, stun spore, frenzy plant (1, 3, 5, 8)

Pidgeot (male): roost, wing attack, mirror move, sky attack (2, 6, 7)

Kadabra (male): teleport, psychic, future sight, psycho cut

Magneton: thunderbolt, magnet bomb, sonicboom, zap cannon (1, 2, 6, 7) (Johto)

Hitmonchan (male): firepunch, thunderpunch, sky uppercut, mega punch (4)

Shellder (male): clamp, hydro pump, razor shell, ice beam

Feraligatr (male): hydro cannon, crunch, whirlpool, ice punch (3, 4, 5, 8)

Noctowl (male): dream eater, zen headbutt, hypnosis, steel wing

Yanmega (male): bug buzz, air slash, ancientpower, double team

Delibird (male): present, aerial ace, ice beam

Sceptile (male): leaf storm, dragon claw, frenzy plant, leaf blade (1, 5)

Swellow (male): aerial ace, quick attack, wing attack, double team (2, 6)

Aggron (male): dig, autotomize, iron tail, iron head (3, 4, 7)

Manectric (male): thunder, discharge, howl, wild charge (8)

Numel (male): flamethrower, earth power, flame burst, magnitude (7)

Glalie (male): ice beam, sheer cold, crunch, double team

Torterra (male): energy ball, earthquake, crunch, leaf storm (1, 3)

Luxray (male): thunder fang, electric terrain, crunch, discharge (5, 7)

Prinplup (male): metal claw, hydro pump, drill peck, water pulse (4, 6)

Staraptor (male): brave bird, close combat, double team, aerial ace (2)

Rampardos* (male): zen headbutt, flamethrower, ancientpower, head smash (8)

Magmortar (male): fire punch, thunderbolt, flamethrower, sunny day

Serperior (female): leaf blade, coil, giga drain, leaf tornado (1, 5)

Braviary (male): aerial ace, hone claws, crush claw, brave bird (2, 3)

Boldore (male): stealth rock, smack down, rock slide, stone edge (4)

Reuniclus (female): future sight, hidden power, rollout, psychic

Eelektross (male): thunderbolt, coil, wild charge, charge beam (6, 8)

Lampent (female): will-o-wisp, flame burst, inferno, hex

Druddigon (male): dragon claw, superpower, dragon tail, night slash (7)

Chesnaught (male): needle arm, spiky shield, seed bomb, hammer arm (4)

Talonflame (female): flame charge, flare blitz, brave bird, steel wing (1, 8)

Slurpuff (female): play rough, psychic, dazzling gleam, cotton guard (2, 5)

(Aurorus (female): ice beam, ancientpower, thunder wave, avalanche) (6, 7)

Clawitzer (male): dark pulse, crabhammer, water pulse, dragon pulse (3, 7)

Pangoro (male): sky uppercut, hammer arm, crunch, swords dance

Incineroar (male): fire fang, flamethrower, darkest lariat, double kick (1, 4, 5, 7)

Ribombee (male): energy ball, dazzling gleam, stun spore, pollen puff (9)

Toucannon (male): drill peck, beak blast, echoed voice, rock smash (2, 3, 8, 11)

Vaporeon (female): aurora beam, hydro pump, aqua tail, water pulse (6, 12)

Drampa (male): extrasensory, dragonbreath, natural gift, dragon pulse (10)

Naganadel (no gender): venoshock, poison jab, venom drench, dragon pulse

 **Charlotte:**

Smeargle (female): flame charge, hex, quick attack, flash cannon (4)

Sawsbuck (male): nature power, energy ball, faint attack, horn leech (2)

Frillish (female): wring out, hex, recover, water pulse (7)

Tyranitar (male): iron head, rock slide, earthquake, dark pulse (6, 7)

Delphox (female): psyshock, psybeam, mystical fire, flame charge (1, 3, 8)

Gogoat (male): vine whip, leaf blade, seed bomb, razor leaf (5)

Noivern (female): boomburst, dragon pulse, air slash, acrobatics (1, 4)

Decidueye (male): leaf blade, spirit shackle, ominous wind, pluck (2, 8)

Ampharos (male): power gem, thunderpunch, electro ball, dragon pulse (3, 5, 10)

Salazzle (female): flamethrower, venoshock, dragon rage, toxic (7, 11)

Lapras* (female): water pulse, ice beam, rain dance, ice shard (6, 12)

Mudsdale (male): high horsepower, bide, mega kick, heavy slam (9)

 **Warren:**

Poliwhirl (male): ice punch, hypnosis, water gun, doubleslap

Leavanny (female): leaf blade, string shot, x-scissor, razor leaf

Tranquil (male): air cutter, quick attack, leer, air slash

Litleo (male): ember, noble roar, headbutt, fire fang

 **JJ:**

Umbreon (male): shadow ball, dig, moonlight, faint attack

Beedrill (male): string shot, pin missile, poison sting, fury attack

Growlithe (male): flare blitz, flamethrower, flame wheel, roar

Bayleef (female): body slam, razor leaf, synthesis

Azumarill (female): water pulse, charm, bubblebeam, water gun

Breloom (male): mach punch, sky uppercut, stun spore, giga drain

Togekiss (female): extremespeed, air slash, metronome, aura sphere

Charjabug (male): charge, bite, bug bite, spark

 **Brittany:**

Blastoise (male): rapid spin, hydro pump, aqua tail, skull bash

Tangrowth (male): stun spore, power whip, mega drain, ancientpower

Pikachu (female): dizzy punch, dig, thunderbolt, volt tackle

Blaziken (female): double kick, flamethrower, flare blitz, blaze kick

Sealeo (male): double team, ice ball, dive, aurora beam

Vespiquen (female): sweet scent, attack order, bug bite, power gem

Dewott (male): razor shell, water pulse, aqua jet, focus energy

 **Lauren:**

Gengar (male): dark pulse, dream eater, shadow punch, hypnosis (2, 3, 7)

Roserade (female): toxic spikes, petal dance, grasswhistle, magical leaf (1)

Infernape (female): blast burn, flare blitz, close combat, mach punch (4, 6)

Lopunny (female): bounce, hi jump kick, thunderpunch, agility (5, 8)

Glaceon (female): bite, ice shard, ice fang, quick attack

Slowking (male): zen headbutt, psychic, water pulse, nasty plot

 **Jake:**

Swampert (male): hammer arm, hydro pump, rock smash, earthquake

Shiftry (male): Leaf Storm, Hurricane, Leaf Blade, Faint Attack

Flygon (male): Dragon Claw, Earth Power , Dragon Rush, Hyper Beam

Emboar (female): hammer arm, flare blitz, head smash, flamethrower

Gligar (male): fury cutter, faint attack, quick attack, poison sting

 **Fay:**

Charizard (male): flamethrower, wing attack, dragon rage, blast burn (5, 7)

Primeape (male): double kick, mega punch, cross chop, karate chop (1, 2, 3, 6, 8)

Gyarados (male): water gun, bite, dragon rage

Electabuzz (male): thunderpunch, thunder, skull bash (4)

Hitmonlee (male): double kick, rolling kick, mega kick

Dragonair (female): dragon rush, wrap, dragon rage, dragonbreath (8) (Johto)

Typhlosion (male): eruption, flamethrower, smokescreen, flame wheel (2, 5, 7)

Ursaring (male): slash, lick, faint attack (1)

Flaaffy (male): thundershock, thunderwave, flash, thunderpunch (3, 6)

Sudowoodo (male): rock slide, mimic, low kick, flail (4)

Kingdra (male): smokescreen, dragonbreath, dragon pulse, whirlpool

Gible (male): dragon rage, dig, sand tomb, sandstorm


End file.
